Emily Ann Shaw

Emily Ann Shaw 40, sweet daughter, sister, aunt and friend passed away Thursday October 27, 2022. Emily was born January 26, 1982, in American Fork, Utah to Gary Devon and Kathleen Jenkins Shaw. She spent her life living with the rare chronic illness Cystinosis but didn’t let it stop her. She continued on even after losing her sight from retina detachments and losing her transplanted kidney and going on dialysis. Then after stopping dialysis, she amazingly lived another 14 months. Emily graduated from East High School, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University and the Utah Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She worked at the Lion House Bakery a few years and as a computer tech at Lincoln Elementary and then for Shawco Electric her father’s business.

Emily was very creative and adventurous and a delight to all who really knew her. She wanted to live in Never Land and never grow up and sometimes was more like an elf or wood nymph. She started writing stories at a fairly young age and continued on until her death. She reached her goal of publishing a book “Warrior Rising” and then wrote sequels to it. She loved her nieces and nephews and would plan fun adventures to do with them.

She had great faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where her favorite calling was the nursery because she could play with toys and eat snacks and love the little children. She didn’t like being blind but felt it had drawn her much closer to the Savior as she continued on doing what she needed to do and loved to do. Those at the Center for the Blind always knew when Emily walked in because she would start whistling one of her favorite songs. She was a wonderful cook and baker and loved to match quilts and sew them. She didn’t learn to read well until 9^th grade but after that read all she could get her hands on and after she was blind listened to books and read Braille books. She loved music and could quote movies she’d seen years ago.

She is survived by her parents Gary and Kathy Shaw, sisters Jenny (Wade) Oliver, Amy (David) Black and Ashley (Kevin) Bai and her brother Cory (Rebecca) Shaw. And her nieces and nephews, Abby, Sam, Kate and Maddie Oliver, Alexander, Anastasia, Oliver, Elenora, Dan and Cuzco Shaw and James Bai. She is preceded in death by her grandparents and her uncle Craig Shaw.

Many thanks need to go to all those at Utah Dialysis and Inspiration Hospice for their kind and compassionate care. And to her many friends and relatives.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building, 1078 South McClelland Street (1040 East), Salt Lake City, Utah where a viewing will be held Saturday morning from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. prior to services. Burial will be in the Lehi City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to The Cystinosis Research Foundation or The Cystinosis Research Network found online.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page.  The live stream will begin about 10-15 minutes prior to the service and will be posted below.