Marion W. Shaver

MARION WALLACE SHAVER, aged 102, died on Jan. 8, 2016, at UAMS in Little Rock, Ark. He was born on Dec. 14, 1913, in Guide Rock, Neb., to Carl Edward Shaver and Dena Margaret (Wilson) Shaver. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Byron Shaver; his sister Mary (Shaver) Reed; his stepson, Oniel Long III; and his first wife of 28 years LaVerne (Ruhl) (Westring) Shaver. He is survived by his second wife of 48 years Georgianna (Scott) Shaver, his stepdaughter LaMarr Kuhlman, his son Neil Carl Shaver, and stepdaughter Carol Urton. He is also survived by one nephew, Jay Carl Reed; eight grandchildren: Diane R. (Shaver) Gray, Paul C. Shaver, David A. Shaver, Rachel E. (Shaver) McDonald, Heidi A. (Kuhlman) Anderson, Mark A. Kuhlman, Bradley Balensky and Danielle (Balensky); and 10 great-grandchildren: Andrew, Catherine and David Gray, Alivia, Avril and Anderson Shaver, Ivy Josephine Shaver, Garrett McDonald, Steven and Jeffrey Anderson. In his younger years, he had various jobs in and around Guide Rock. In the early 1930s he entered the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and rose to the rank of Sergeant before leaving the Corp and traveling to Los Angeles, Calif. in the late 1930s. He worked there as a waiter, a bowling pin setter, a small restaurant owner, and an installer of furnaces and hot water heaters, before joining the Southern Pacific Railroad in the early 1940's. He worked for the railroad as a locomotive fireman and engineer until his retirement in the late 1970's. He remained in Los Angeles until 2003 when he and his wife moved to Little Rock. He was a life-long stamp collector. A benevolent man who consistently reached out to those in need, he also had a dry sense of humor and a keen ability to tell stories of his early life that would delight and capture the imagination. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Missions Fund at The Bible Church of Little Rock, 19111 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72223. A memorial will be held at the Roller-Chenal Funeral Home Chapel, 13801 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, Ark., (501) 224-8300 Saturday, January 23, at 2 p.m. Officiating services will be Reverend Timothy Senn. His cremated remains will be interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.