Oct 27, 2007, 7:41 AM
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Goodbye Beezy
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I just got the word that Beezy Shaw past away last night. Many may not know that he had been sick for some time either fighting cancer or trying to get well enough to fight it.
Beezy was one of the good guys and someone I counted as a true friend. I will miss his straight forward way of telling someone they are about to fuck up. Something like, "Hey that's stupid and your going to die" or " Wait a minute so I can go get my video camera".
I didn't know Beezy all that well but I really got a great impression when I met him. I know that he was well loved by a lot of people I love, so big hugs go out to all of you today.
Beezy was one of those people who stuck it out in the sport. He was patient, innovative, kind, and full of knowledge. He always came to the table with ideas or solutions, but he never came with problems that he didn't want to see solved.
Yes, Beezy was one of the good guys...
He worked hard in this industry and his participation, though many times unrecognized, was important to the progression of the sport. He came to a couple of the HMB Boogies, and he and I shared many phone calls.
Beezy my friend, you will be greatly missed. My prayers to the family.
I miss him already. Beezy's enthusiasm could be felt and his story telling abilities are legendary! His passing leaves a void in the skydiving community, but I know that memories of him will be cherished by those that knew and loved him and shared among those those who hadn't had the fortune to meet him.
This really sucks. I had been wondering how he was doing. Last time I saw him was in Dublin during the boogie. Beezy was one of the good ones for sure. His stories and his knowledge of the sport were impressive as was his friendship. I will miss him.
I only met Beezy once, but can remember thinking, "I would like to get to know this man more." It saddens me that I won't get the opportunity. To his close friends and family, my sincerest condolences.
(This post was edited by BIGUN on Oct 27, 2007, 8:55 AM)
I only met Beezy once, but can remember thinking, "I would like to get to know this man more." It saddens me that I won't get the opportunity. To his close friends and family, my sincerest condolences.
When Don Kirlin asked me to take on the WFFC, Beezy was one of the people whos counsel was invaluable. He was knowledgeable, direct and thoughtful. He was also kind. We will all miss him!
Whether it was arranging for a canopy demo, discussing the performance of a canopy on the last demo, setting up dealership issues or just having a general chat over an adult beverage or three, Beezy was knowledgeable, personable and very informed.
I only knew Beezy from a few phone calls, when I was directed to him for some newbie counseling (way back when). He made the introduction into this sport very inviting and treated me like I was already family.
Then to read his helpful (and sometimes humorous) posts here over the years solidified that this family was indeed the place to hang out, dysfunctional as it is...
Damn! He was genuinely one of the good guys. I met him in 77 at Z-Hills camping out in the orange groves with the rest of the Chattanooga crew. They were a really colorful bunch and Beezy was right up front. I have an old picture of him with George Galloway looking like the wooly mountain men that they were. We made a few more jumps in LaGrange and Rome and Jenkinsberg. Christ he could get ya goin'. Keep you in sticthes or pull your leg with a tall tale so bad it hurt.
Sent a lost friend, Robert, to see him in the hospital. Glad i made them reconnect.
It's really difficult to express, how folks touch our lives. Like you, he touched me through his posts. There was no way, you couldn't tell that he was just a good-good guy. We're all, gonna miss him!!!
This is sad, very sad. Beezy was such a true soul and a good sport. So many boogies together and every one I have a funny memory that includes Beezy. Skyfest '04 when it rained like hell and he was in a tent. I got up early one morning to check on him and crawled in to make sure he didn't drown. And Dublin this year, running around with pink Hello Kitty walkie-talkies. I don't even remember what we were saying.
Damn, another friend has left us. I've known Beezy nearly as long as I've been a C license ~ 11 or 12 years, and at almost every boogie I've ever been to in the southeast, he was there - West Tennessee, Tullahoma, Monroe, The Farm, Cullman, Pell City, Moss Point, Emerald Coast, etc. It always brought a smile to my face whenever I saw him and he had the same wide smile and a "HEY BILLY!" for me. Boy, he had some awesome stories and videos of his exploits. Who could forget the cypres fire video he had at Monroe during the Georgia State Record 64 ways in '97?
I am honored to call him a friend, and I will miss him.
I just wanted to let the entire skydiving community know how much Beezy cared about you. You were family as much as I and his children were. As the wife of a man who has been a professional skydiver for 35+ years, you must somehow prepare yourself for the possibility that someday you might get "that" call, but cancer is all together a much more dangerous opponent.
My husband was a huge safety advocate. He mentored many a newbie, and counseled many a "sky god".
Our daughter, Elsie, and I loved going to the dropzone with him. We took her to her first boogie at 6 weeks old, and she's loved it since. She terrorized many a skydiver in her Barbie Jeep, going out to the landing area to see if anyone needed a ride. She made her first skydive with him last year on her fourth birthday. He second guessed himself about posting photos, because he didn't want people to think that it was ok to take a child that young. Its NOT, unless you're Beezy Shaw. His older children, Erin, Bryan and Sunny also ran around the dropzone from the time they were in diapers.
He fought so hard, didn't give up and he never complained. The last thing that I whispered to my husband is that he's my hero. I've never known a more courageous man in my life. My best friend has passed away, and he has gone to fly with the angels and look over all of us. So listen hard, and you can here him whispering in you ear, "don't be stupid man; try this; don't chop it yet; too low for a hook-turn; live to skydive another day", etc, etc, etc...
http://www.mem.com/Story.aspx?ID=2111440
Tracie Shaw P.S. Please check out Chuck Blue's announcement under the "General" category for funeral arrangements or you can visit
I didn't know Beezy all that well but I really got a great impression when I met him. I know that he was well loved by a lot of people I love, so big hugs go out to all of you today. 
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