Obituary of Carolyn Shaw

Carolyn Shaw's life started typically but became a profound spiritual journey; born from adversity and finished on her own terms. Carolyn was born on April 8th, 1934. Her life began normally in Waco, Texas as the daughter of Samuel Guynes and Kathrine Boice. Carolyn, as a young child grew up in a few different places and households; but all of them more typical than not. She particularly adored the time she spent at her beloved Grandmother Guynes' home. As a young woman, she excelled in social activities and was very happy to make friends with everyone she encountered. She attended the University of Texas in Austin. While in college, she modeled and was a finalist in several beauty pageants. Carolyn was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority; for which she was very proud. It was here at the University that Carolyn would meet her first husband, Joe "JD" Rubesch, a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. They both very much enjoyed the social aspects of their sorority and fraternity. Carolyn and Joe married and moved to Miami. They settled into a somewhat quiet but subtly lavish lifestyle. They started their family and had 3 children. Carolyn focused on building and maintaining her household and became an excellent cook. She remained an excellent cook throughout her life. Carolyn's second husband was Jocelyn (Joce) Shaw. Carolyn, her 3 small children and her new husband moved to a different house in Miami. Once again, she focused on her new household and her 3 small children. Carolyn and Joce went on to have 3 children of their own. Carolyn and Joce later divorced. However, it was also at that same time the level of her adversity was to hit the high water mark. With huge adversities already facing her; she also suddenly hurt her back. She was in tremendous pain, was completely bedridden and in traction for six weeks. By this time, Joe the Father of her first 3 children had passed away suddenly. Joce provided a very minimal amount of monetary support for his 3 children. Needless to say her income was minimal at best. Also, unfortunately at this same time there was some discord within her personal family. Thus, she was without any emotional or financial support from them. Set with six small children, no formal job skills, minimal income, no family support, and a bad back, she changed profoundly. She discarded the conventional ideas about how to live, what to believe and how the world was supposed to work. Carolyn set about deciding for herself how to live. In this process, her spiritual journey was put into motion……… Though times were initially tough she survived and eventually thrived. To provide for her family she found work initially in restaurants and then as a skilled secretary and office manager. To provide for herself spiritually, she threw herself into a variety of new age religious teachings. The two combined perfectly when she became the secretary for the Science of Mind Church in Miami. While there she delved deeply into many new forms of spirituality with a genuine thirst for answers. She continued this quest for the rest of her life, always seeking new experiences and knowledge about the energy of life and how to find deeper understanding in it. After participating in the real estate boom of the late 70's she traveled the country going to retreats, seminars and places she found to be in some way holy. She took spiritual classes and later became a teacher of those classes. She also continued to mix her spiritual and occupational activities. While working in the accounting department for her son's consulting company in Houston, Texas, she became a spiritual adviser/mom to the numerous twenty somethings who worked for the company. Later, after retiring from that opportunity, at the age 68 she opened a smoothie shop. The Juicerie was located on Main street in Fredericksburg TX in the Texas Hill Counrty. Her mission was to "be of service" by serving healthy food with a dose of healthy spiritual advice. She operated the shop for ten years, making lots of friends and touching the hearts of many with her kind, gentle, knowing spirit. Her search for meaning did not go unfulfilled. In the last years of her life she expressed a profound sense of understanding and made a point of stressing the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and only accepting the good things out of any situation. As a "way shower", she was happy to help anyone that would turn to her for advice in a difficult situation. She would help them break down their issue into more manageable parts; so they could deal with it and see the positive that might come out of it. She had searched for meaning for so long and so earnestly that in the end she seemed to have finally found it. Anyone who talked with Carolyn in the last few years could not help but notice the change. Verbally, she would mention to anyone who wanted to know that she had learned what she came here to learn, done what she came here to do and was ready to move on to the next stage. Carolyn spent a last long weekend having a wonderful time with her Grandson and a very close friend of the family, both of whom she adored. She then went to bed and quietly to sleep. As Carolyn had completed the tasks she set for herself here on Earth, she passed on her own terms………. She is survived by her mother Katherine Boice of Santa Barbara, CA, her sister Suzanne Wilson of Dana Point, CA, her sister Martha Morgan of Austin, TX, her brother Samuel B. Guynes of Austin, TX, her cousin Constance "Connie" Chamberlain of San Antonio, TX, her six children, Stephen Rubesch of York, PA, Georganne Rubesch-Hemphill of Houston, TX, Erick Rubesch of Houston, TX, Robert Shaw of Houston, TX, John Shaw of Los Angeles, CA and Edward Shaw of Birmingham, AL and her nine grandchildren, Taylor, Zoie, Avery, Mackenzie, Nathan, Zachary, Garrett, David and Ethan. Carolyn was seventy nine years old.