'Becky' Shaw, 24; student,
fan of '80s rock bands
Profile / Obituary
Rebecca E. "Becky" Shaw, 24, of
Harmony Court, Warwick, just had a way about her.
With her long blond hair, blue
eyes, stylish clothes, high heels, and perfect makeup, "she was almost a
throwback with the way she carried herself, the way she walked. Her posture
was impeccable," said Kerri A. Baccari, the office administrator at RE/MAX
real estate office in Cranston, where Ms. Shaw worked part-time.
Ms. Shaw was a business
management major at Providence College. Her father, John Shaw, is a professor
in the college's marketing department.
"She had such a rich background
she could relate to anybody," said her mother, Ann Shaw.
Ms. Shaw grew up in Sudbury,
Mass., where she learned to play the piano, speak French, crochet and ride
horses.
But this ladylike young woman
also had a penchant for 1980s rock bands.
She'd hear about a concert on
the radio and say "let's go," like the time she persuaded her reluctant friend
and housemate, Megan C. Connelly, to accompany her to concert of a KISS
tribute band.
"Plans didn't need to be made.
She lived life on the wire," Connelly said.
Ms. Shaw frequently ordered and
paid for takeout dinners for her roommate. Sometimes, however, she tried to
pass off chocolate as a main meal.
When the roommates were bored,
Ms. Shaw would lead them in an adult version of "dress-up." They would go
through their closets and try on all their old clothing, particularly old prom
gowns.
The women both worked at RE/MAX
and became roommates about a year ago. Ms. Shaw often went to a lounge to
listen to Connelly sing karaoke.
"She spoiled the people she
loved," Connelly said.
Ms. Shaw's close friend,
Jeffrey Rader, of Danville, Calif., also died in the fire. They met at a
concert about six months ago and had been dating seriously for the last three
months.
"I don't think I'd seen her
happier," said Connelly.
Ms. Shaw was born in
Harrisburg, Pa., but spent most of her life in Sudbury, Mass. She graduated
from Lincoln-Sudbury High School in 1996. She had also worked for RE/MAX in
the Northampton, Mass., area.
She was the daughter of John
and Ann (Clarke) Shaw of Sudbury. She was the granddaughter of the late Dr.
Henry and Elinor (Frantz) Clarke of Ashfield, Mass., and the late John and
Helen (Drozdal) Skawski of South Deerfield, Mass.
Besides her parents, she leaves
a brother, Jonathan Shaw of Sudbury, and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
-- Journal staff writer
Cathleen Crowley
source Providence Journal
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