Horseman Arthur George Shaw, 77, of Jensen Beach, Fla., passed away on Sunday, June 5 in Stuart, Fla.

He was born June 16, 1938, in Milwaukee, Wis., to the late Arthur (a Standardbred driver) and Letty Shaw of Elkhorn Wis.

Shaw graduated from Elkhorn High School then went on to Bradley University and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, where he graduated, and then on to Northern Illinois University with a law degree.

He followed in his dad's footsteps and became a leading Standardbred driver, driving horses from New York to California. He was one of the top driver/trainers in the country. He was also one of the first single importers to import Standardbreds from New Zealand to the United States.

Shaw met his wife, DeDe, and they were married February 21, 1971. In a few short years they brought a baby into the world their son, A.G.

In 1980, Shaw was introduced to a company called Shaklee. He started building a Shaklee business with DeDe and together they exploded the business into the largest Shaklee business in the world.

Later on in life he missed the racehorse environment, so he ventured into Standardbred stallions. This is where he pioneered the dual hemisphere Standardbred stud service in the U.S. where in the off season he would fly the horses to New Zealand to stand for stud. This has now become common practice.

He and DeDe got into Quarter Horses and travelled the country together showing their horses, winning the top shows in the country including the NSBA World and Congress Championship. He was on the Board of Directors for the Florida Quarter Horse Association.

He served on many boards over the years, including the Shaklee Masters Executive Committee as chairman multiple times. He was on the Nation Snaffle Bit Association. He was also on The Small Businessman board where he worked with Senator McCain. He was on the Illinois Harness Driver Association and he co-chaired the Heart Association for Martin County, Fla.

His life was full of experience and he lived life. He also lived to make life better for others.

He is survived by his wife, DeDe; son, A.G. (Maureen); and grandchildren, Tyler and Ella.

There will be a memorial gathering from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday (June 12) at the Forest Hills Funeral Home, Palm City, Fla. There is an online registry at foresthillspalmcityflorida.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of George Shaw.

(USTA)