Obituary of Paul Stewart Shaner

Stu Shaner, 76, a prominent member of the Oroville community, died Tuesday night after a months-long struggle with dementia following a hip surgery earlier this year. Shaner, who lived in Oroville since age 5, worked to construct the Oroville Dam, wrote two columns for the Oroville Mercury-Register and served as co-chair for the Veterans Memorial Park Committee for over a decade. He dedicated his life to his family and showing respect for veterans, his country and his town. Shaner leaves behind his wife Lynn and his four children: Ricky Shaner of Oroville, Debbie Shaner of Susanville and Paula Fishkin and Jeff Shaner of Chico. His siblings include Larry Shaner, Peggy Schultz, Betty Ledford and Kathy Stingley, who passed away in 2005. His grandchildren are Noah, Jessica, Gavin, Emma, Penelope and Vonnegut. All-American attitude Shaner’s sister, Betty Ledford, remembers her brother once going through a phase of wearing just a red, white and blue shirt. He was a guy who would only purchase — or accept as gifts — American-made products. “He lived and breathed it,” she said. “He’s the most patriotic person I know.” Shaner was born in a small town in Pennsylvania, before moving to Thermalito as a young boy then Oroville, where he would reside in a home built by his uncle. “He always told me he was so impressed as a child that they had memorials for veterans in a small town,” she said. Shaner wanted to serve his country as a pilot in the Air Force but was unable to as his eyesight was not good enough, Ledford said. He would go onto construct a memorial for those who died during the construction of the Oroville Dam and serve as a chairman, planning for the Veterans Memorial Park in Oroville, which is still under construction. It was natural that Shaner would be civic-minded, as his father was a city councilor and mayor, his sister said. He also loved the outdoors, frequently going hunting and fishing in the foothills with his brothers. And they wouldn’t just bring home dinner. “He would bring home stray animals he would find, that were hurt, and he’d bring them back to life,” she said. With family living close by, they got together often as adults and Ledford and her brother went to the same church. Shaner underwent hip surgery in March and was diagnosed with dementia about six months ago, Ledford said. From there, his health was in a “steady decline.” Making the Veteran's memorial a reality Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly served as co-chair with Shaner on the Veterans Memorial Park Committee since before Connelly began as a supervisor in 2005. Connelly said he was a complementing counterpart and almost like a brother. They got to know each other when Shaner asked for his support with the Oroville Dam memorial and they became close working together as co-chairs for the veteran’s memorial project. “He was kind of like an older brother,” Connelly said. “I don’t have a bad thing to say about him. He was very easy to be co-chair with because of our distinctly different personalities. He was more from the heart.” Shaner never missed a meeting until his health worsened this year, Connelly said. “We always met because of Stu’s will,” he said. “He always moved forward.” At every committee gathering, Shaner would give a report on a veteran he had researched, even calling family members to learn more about them. He would also share veterans’ stories in one of his columns in the M-R and add a personal note at the end. Here is an excerpt from one of Shaner’s columns about a mother reunited with her lost son in the service in 1943, published October 16, 2009: “The above story can almost make a grown man cry. It is one of the thousands of good stories of our wars. War is often sad stories. Thank you Joan Lee for finding this one, but to me it’s also the rest of the story I want.” Shaner traveled across the United States to see veteran’s memorials. He loved his small town, U.S.A. too, collecting local knickknacks and newspapers in his home, Connelly said. “He was a collector of everything about Oroville,” he said. A family man One of his sons, Jeff Shaner, remembers his father as a hardworking iron worker. Often commuting to place like Sacramento to work on high rises, he would make sure to be home for dinner although his co-workers would stay in the city. “He came home every night because he didn’t want to be away from his family, his wife,” Jeff Shaner said. Stu was also involved with his union, often calling its headquarters and even picketing for other unions, his son said. “He just believed that the working man should be able to feed his family, too.” They bonded over things like sports and hunting. Jeff Shaner had “all sorts of pets” growing up, including 10 peacocks wandering around the property. He said his father also loved to plant trees even though his water bill was “sky high.” They saw each other often and his father would often ask for advice on the veteran’s memorial project. Now Jeff said he is ready to carry out the rest of his father’s vision for the park. “I’d talk to him on the phone about the memorial project, reassuring him,” he said. “I plan on going to the memorial park meetings and ensuring what he would like (is realized.)” There was an outpouring of support for Stu’s family on Facebook Wednesday as the news circulated, with many sharing memories and their gratitude for his contributions to the community. “He was just a good guy. Everyone knew him,” Shaner said. “He was sincere and forgiving. He never yelled or held a grudge against anybody.” A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church, 45 Acacia Ave. Oroville, CA. Graveside Service will be held on Monday, December 19, 2016 at 10:00 AM at Memorial Park Cemetery 5646 Lincoln Blvd. Oroville, California. Arrangements have been entrusted to Ramsey Funeral Home 530-534-3877.