WILMINGTON — William S. “Shaw” Burney passed away peacefully Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. He was born July 4, 1961, to the late John Jay Burney Jr. and Catherine Evans Burney.
Shaw was a member of Saint Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Cape Fear Academy and Campbell University. After graduation, he worked in the film industry for many years, working on many movies and television series.
In later years, he started his own landscaping business. Shaw has designed numerous gardens that were on the Azalea Festival Garden Tour and has also left his footprint on many beautiful gardens in the Wilmington area.
Shaw was a very caring and loving individual, always willing to lend a helping hand as an extraordinary cook, party planner and storyteller who was known for his outlandish tales. The family farm had always held a special place in his heart, as he was a true outdoorsman.
He also played the piano brilliantly and had a lifelong love of classical music and the arts. For those who knew him, he was a very congenial man with impeccable manners who loved his family and friends dearly.
Left to cherish his memory are one brother, John Jay Burney III (Zina); four nieces, Elizabeth Christina Burney Vanname, Anna Catherine Burney, Mary Margaret Burney and Rebecca Lynn Burney; grand-niece, Aurora Elizabeth Vanname; uncle and aunt, Louis Augustus Burney (Bonnie), and their children, Louis Augustus Burney Jr. (Stephanie) and Eugenia Burney Smith (Xan), and their children; cousins, Kleist Wideman Rhodes (Tommy), William Christopher Wideman (Janet) and Melissa Ann Corbett, and their children; as well as numerous friends and a very special extended family. He also left his feline family which includes Eenie, Meanie, Miney, Moe, Wampus, Ying and Yang.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church. A reception will be held in Brown Hall following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Saint Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Lower Cape Fear Hospice, or the American Cancer Society.
Condolences may be sent to the family at andrewsmortuary.com.
