Obit of Shahan, James Finley - Jefferson County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 10 Jun 2007 Return to Jefferson County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/jefferson/jefferson.htm ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== ::East Lawn Palms Cemetery--Tucson AZ Tucson Citizen, Tucson AZ Shahan, James Finley was born March 15, 1917, in Waurika, Oklahoma. At the age of fourteen, he had to quit school and go to work to help support his family. He began the life of a cowboy on the ranches in New Mexico and continued until he got married in 1948 to Katherine McDougal. He had a reputation for successfully riding and breaking some of the wildest horses around and paid for his excellence with several near death accidents, including a broken neck, severe laceration of his throat and numerous other injuries. In 1949, Mr. Shahan went to work for Isbell Construction Company, driving a truck in the copper mines of Silver City, New Mexico. Upon his move to the new town of Silver Bell, Arizona, he rose to the level of superintendent. Upon retiring at the age of sixty two, he had become the Mines Manager for Duval Corporation, with responsibility for several copper mines in the southwest. Mr. Shahan was always proud of his good fortune in rising from very humble beginnings to the position of responsibility and reward he achieved through a lifetime of hard and honest work. He taught his two sons the value of hard work, love of nature and the importance of honesty and truth in all their endeavors. Although Mr. Shahan never went back to ranching, his love of horses and the cowboy life never abated. Mr. Shahan died March 13, 2005, in Prescott, Arizona. He was preceded in death by his youngest son, Michael and by Katherine, his wife of fifty five years. His survivors include his son, Thomas; his two granddaughters, Barbara and Whitney and his two great grandsons, Justin and Reed. A Memorial service will be held for Mr. Shahan at the Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home in Prescott, 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2005, 303 S. Cortez with a graveside service 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 21, 2005, 1:00 p.m. East Lawn Cemetery, 5801 E. Grant Rd, Tucson, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Habitat for Humanity, 1230 Willow Creek, Prescott, AZ 86301 or your favorite charity. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Jefferson County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/jefferson/jefferson.htm