Estella "Honey" Shaw

Estella "Honey" Shaw, 95, entered her eternal home on August 23, 2026 at the St. Vincent's Care Center in Bismarck.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held 10:00AM Saturday, September 5th at the First Presbyterian Church in Mandan with Pastor Deanna Reikow officiating. Burial will follow in Mandan Union Cemetery. A prayer service with time of sharing will take place at 7:00PM Friday, Sept. 4th at the church.

She was christened Estella Blanche Gray at birth on July 9, 1931, named after her grandmother, but she was never called Estella because her father took one look at her and said, “She’s a Honey.” So Honey became her known name, and it described her sweet nature. She was born in Portland, Maine, and lived there for a few years, but spent the rest of her childhood in Gorham, Maine, on a dairy farm. She was the youngest of eight children.

Her high school years were filled with many operas and musicals, the drama club, cheerleading, and involvement with FHA and the G Club. She was also voted the best dancer in her senior class. She graduated from Gorham High School in 1951.

After high school, she boarded a train to North Dakota to visit her sister, Shirley, who had married a Navy sailor, Robert Shaw, from Mandan. On the Shaw family farm, Honey met the younger brother, Donald, and, as she said, developed heart trouble as she fell in love with this handsome young man. Donald later traveled to Maine, and they married on December 13, 1952, in a small country church. They then returned to Mandan, North Dakota, where they made their home for 67 years on the Shaw farm north of Mandan. Honey filled their home with music, laughter, and a good cup of tea. Music was always playing at home, and lots of singing at every family gathering.

Her love for music spilled beyond their home and into the community. She was a founding and charter member of the Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus and a long-time member of the Mandan First Presbyterian Church Choir. She often served as a featured soloist in the Mandan-Bismarck area for special occasions, including weddings and funerals. She was the soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah. Honey was actively involved in Thursday Music Club, PEO AK Chapter, Fortnightly Book Club, First Presbyterian Women of Mandan, Ladies Lions Club, Meals on Wheels (Golden Age), and years ago, in Revelers, a dinner club, and Homemakers. Honey also enjoyed attending water aerobics classes, which kept her very strong and healthy.

Often when any of her children would visit her, as they would leave, she would say, “Now, don’t forget your mother!” (Said with a Maine accent). There’s no way any of us can forget her; she was a legend of love, joy, wit, and continual music. We can almost hear her singing in that heavenly choir that she joined on August 23, 2026, and will forever sing forth praises to the Lord.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Gladys (Gilbert) and Minard Gray of Gorham, Maine. Her husband, Donald B, Shaw, and siblings, Minard Gray, Shirley Gray Shaw, Harold Gray, Irving Gray, Sherman Gray, Claire Gray Emerson, Patricia Gray Parkinson, and her son-in-law, Todd Reuer.

She is survived by her children, Dawn (Doug) Diehl, Rapid City, SD; Deborah Shaw, Mandan, ND; Kim Shaw, Mandan, ND; Kelley Reuer, Bismarck, ND; & LaRue (Tracie) Shaw, Bismarck, ND. Her Grandchildren, Dustin (Faith) Diehl, Omaha, NE; Destri Fagerland, Rapid City, SD; Tyson (Sarah) Reuer, Tulsa, OK; Philip (Kristen) Reuer, San Diego, CA; Kristi (Edward) Gabel, Meeteetse, WY; True Shaw, Bismarck, ND. Her great-grandchildren, Josiah, Remington, and Skylar Fagerland; Kadence, Selah, Ezra Reuer; Anna Reuer; and Luke Gabel. And many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to First Presbyterian Church or the Bismarck Mandan Civic Chorus.