Karyl Austin Shaw

On Monday, March 1, 2021, Karyl Austin Shaw passed away at the age of 66. Karyl was born May 20, 1954, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, to Charles Lyle Austin and Rebecca Elizabeth Austin, née Schriber.  

Her family immigrated to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Karyl attended Tulsa Public Schools, graduating from Nathan Hale High School in 1972. She earned her B.A. in English Education from the University of Oklahoma in 1975 and Masters of Education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1999. 

She met her future husband at an OU football game where they had adjacent seats in 1972. He asked her to marry him during the first game of the season. On August 31, 1975, Karyl and Walter Shaw eloped to the Wesley Foundation in Norman, Oklahoma. They were married for 36 years until his death in 2011. 

Always a teacher, Karyl began her professional career at Local Federal Savings & Loan in 1975, where she was responsible for training new employees. In 1994, she turned her full attention to traditional public school teaching with Norman Public Schools. For the past 20 years, she has been a Resource Teacher at Norman North High School.  

As a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA, Karyl served in many volunteer positions- Troop Leader, Service Unit Officers, Service Unit Cookie Chair, and others.  She also participated in many social groups with other educators, among those that she especially loved were Book Club, “Choir Practice,” and Pub Trivia Nights.

Karyl became a member of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church upon her confirmation in 1968, and participated in the choir, hand-bell choir, and youth group.  Upon matriculation at OU, she was a member of the Wesley Foundation, and resided in the “Wesley Home for Wayward Women” with other co-eds.  As an adult, she joined McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church, and was a choir member and youth group chaperone at many different times.

Karyl was preceded in death by her father, Charles (Charlie/O’Malley) Austin, mother, Rebecca (Mickey) Austin, and husband, Walter Shaw. She is survived by her daughter, Klynda Shaw, son-in-law Kenneth Hardyman, and grandson Cormac (Cash) Shaw-Hardyman.  Also surviving are sister-in-law, Lou Shaw, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Donations may be made in her name to the Norman Public Schools Foundation.