Lynette Godfrey Shaw
May 23, 1929 - Jan. 18, 2017
Lynette Godfrey Shaw died quietly Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, after an extended illness with her sister Peggy and nephew Don at her side. She was 87 years old—a fact that, were she still alive, she would most vehemently object to sharing.[caption id="attachment_12039" align="alignright" width="241"] Lynette Godfrey Shaw [/caption]Born May 23, 1929, Lynette was the third child of Ernest Edward and Jessie Mortenson Godfrey. Named after Cowley stalwart Lynette Mann, she was raised in Wyoming and attended, and graduated from, Cowley High School. She married Calden (Cal) Harvey in January of 1948, a marriage that would end in divorce. She later met and married Norman Shaw. The couple first lived in Cody, then in Las Vegas, nearly two decades in California and, at last, back home in Cowley.While those may be the simple facts of Lynette’s life, they are insufficient to describe her. In truth, she is a woman difficult to describe at all. Most think of her carefully coiffed red hair as an attribute unique to her, and it continued to defy nature well into her 80s. She loved long nails, shopping trips, shoes and anything that sparkled. She was the epitome of all things “girly.” Her favorite colors were pink, purple and glitter.Lynette was also an early example of an independent, working woman. She often shared fond memories working at the hospital in Lovell, with Dee Ray Peterson and the crew at the canning factory and with Joe Livingston, first in Cody, then in California. She was smart and meticulous, and her business sense was as remarkable as her made-in-Wyoming common sense.It may be recorded somewhere that Lynette didn’t have children. This writer disagrees with that assertion. Aunt Nette, in fact, had many. Certainly, there were the Wilson kids who grew up watching Lou and Nette laugh together. There were also the nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and, yes, the great-great-nieces and -nephews who would snuggle on her lap, subject themselves to her many kisses, beg to try on her jewelry or just sit with her and laugh. There are, indeed, generations of “kids” who loved and who will miss her.She was smart, funny, occasionally exasperating and, to all who knew her, “the good stuff.”Lynette, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was preceded in death by her parents, husband Norm, former husband Cal and brother Edward. She is survived by her sister Marjorie (Owen) and by her younger siblings, Eugene (Pat) and Peggy Rasmussen, many nieces and nephews and dear friends.The family would like to extend thanks to the many friends, neighbors and medical professionals who cared for Lynette in her final years. You brightened her days and eased her burden, and for that we—and she—will always be grateful.Funeral services were held Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cowley. Interment followed at the Cowley Cemetery.