Tribute

TRIBUTE

Lee was born in Texas on August 9, 1947, in the little town of Kermit. It was only by the grace of God and the good sense of his mother that he was not named Vestus Lineburger Shaw the Third! His good mother insisted on Vestus Lee and he was always and only called Lee.

The Shaw family was Texas to the core, but with his father in the Air Force, the family soon moved from Texas. At the age of five his father left, leaving his mother to raise the three Shaw boys; Lee, Phil, and Arnie.  His mom eventually married again to an Air Force man and two children were added to the family, Nesha and Mike Lowell.

Frequent moves continued. Lee said that by the age of 20 he had lived in 21 different places. Lee had fond memories of living for a short time in England, where Lee and Phil wore short pants and ties to school.

In his teen years his new father left, leaving behind a mom with now 5 kids to raise. Lee remembered many hard times throughout his childhood. There were days when they had bologna and no bread….and the next day, bread, and no bologna.

Despite the hardships, his mom never failed to instill good moral values; honesty, hard work and perseverance, accompanied by strong and frequent doses of good humor. Amid the difficulties, their summers were often filled with fun and adventure as the Shaw Grandparents rescued the boys, bringing them home to Kermit. Lee loved being home in Texas where he was surrounded by close family. With both grandparents living in Kermit, he told of times when the three boys would eat their way from one grandparent’s home to the next, convincing them of their famished condition. Leaving Texas at the end of summer was never easy.

In looking for a new job and a better life, his mom moved to San Diego. When attending junior high, Lee was called “Cowpie” for a while, until he won them over with his good humor and Southern charm.

After graduating from Madison High, he soon followed his mom who had moved to Costa Mesa. Lee attended Orange Coast College and CAL State Fullerton, but with the Viet Nam War raging and the draft board in hot pursuit, he decided to enlist in the US Navy and attend submarine school. He was soon assigned duty aboard the USS Caiman and for some time was docked at San Francisco.

It was there he entered into frequent debates with Sam Jackson, the only known Christian aboard; Lee losing handily with his ignorant railings and dumb arguments against Christ! Sam successfully prevailed upon him to attend a Youth Rally. At the April rally in 1970 Lee accepted Christ and never looked back. Everything quickly began to change. God had immediate plans and the unsuspecting Lee Shaw was about to be transitioned into full time ministry. In late June he met Mary. On July 4th they had their first date. In early August he received an early discharge from the Navy and returned home to Costa Mesa.

By the end of August, Lee found himself involved in the greatest awakening and revival of our day. It had begun when Pastor Chuck Smith of his floundering church of Calvary Chapel opened his doors to an unexpected revival and newfound love, leading to what Time Magazine dubbed, The Jesus Revolution. The LSD drug-crazed and free-loving Hippies of that era were being radically transformed and Lee was divinely placed in the middle of it all. Lee lived at one of their first communes, The Mansion Messiah, for almost a year, becoming an Elder of the home.

During that time Mary came to visit, thinking perhaps Lee, being a new Christian, had possibly been waylaid in his faith. To her delight she found it to be all very legit and became involved herself. They were married September 4th 1971. Two sons were born, Jonathan in 1972 and David Lee in 1973. The Jesus Revolution was spreading throughout the country while Lee stayed in Costa Mesa, starting a family, and continuing his involvement with Calvary Chapel. Together he and Mary served in the expanding tape lending library, with Lee assisting at the Thursday evening After Glow services.

In 1976 Lee sensed the Lord leading them out of Costa Mesa and he began knocking on doors. A new work had begun at a home in Napa and Pastor Chuck was being asked to send help. Pastor Randy Morich responded, and Lee came along to help, bringing his family to Napa, helping to start the first Calvary Chapel.  In 1980 their one and only daughter, Jamie was born.

In 1985 Lee began a new work, Morning Star Ministries. Lee loved being a pastor but at some point, he became unsettled and longing for something more. His prayer life began to change as he asked God to put him in the place of greatest need, someplace other than the confines of the church.

In 1995, at the request of then Police Chief, Dan Monez, Lee entered the new role of chaplain….and the rest is history! Beyond Napa Lee ministered at Ground Zero after 9/11, after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, after the mass shootings at Sandyhook Elementary School, after the Aurora Colorado Theatre shooting, and after the mass shooting at the Southerland Springs Baptist Church in Texas.

Over the years and beyond the call of ministry, they enjoyed many family trips together. They visited Niagara Falls, the Amish community in Lancaster Pennsylvania, Civil War battlefields, and took many trips to Washington DC, with Lee’s favorite site being Arlington National Cemetery. Kauai was always a frequent favorite until Jamie relocated to Alaska. It was Alaska they grew to love most, mostly because she was there. They enjoyed their 50th Anniversary at Denali National Park and returned to Alaska the following March for the Iditarod sled dog races out of Anchorage.

Lee loved people no matter who they were or in what condition he found them. Every meeting became an opportunity for making new friends. He saved every card or note anyone gave him and always felt like each note was a treasure.

God’s goodness and faithfulness followed Lee every day of his life. Lee discovered a Heavenly Father who never walked out, a Father present in the darkest nights, a Father whose love and mercy never failed him.

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