Francine Cheeseman Shaw

Francine Cheeseman Shaw, age 68, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2022. She was born on May 30, 1954, in South Amboy, NJ, and was the daughter of the late Francis (Trip) and Patricia Cheeseman.

Francine graduated from St. Mary’s High School in South Amboy and went on to receive a B.S. degree in economics from the College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ, in 1976. In 2009, Francine was awarded a Doctor of Law, Honorary Degree from the College of St. Elizabeth.

In 1978 Francine joined the DuPont Company and retired with 35 years of distinguished service. While at DuPont Francine demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills and earned 15 progressive promotions to the position of Vice President, Global Supply Chain, DuPont Performance Polymers. Her breadth of assignments spanned the globe and value chain of this Dow 30 global science company. As a leading female Corporate Officer at DuPont, her wide range of experiences included multiple CEO/VPGM positions, as well as Senior Corporate Staff roles, such as VP & Assistant to the Chairman & CEO and working directly with the Board of Directors. 

Francine was a terrific mentor at DuPont to the many she interacted with during her career. Upon hearing of her illness, one individual recently summed it up this way: “Francine is the strongest woman I know—I often tell my youngest daughter she reminds me of what I would imagine Francine was as a child—curls and all. There are no words for the emotions…[I] just know that Francine changed my life and my course—time and time again. I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for her.”

In 2014, Francine joined the Board of Trustees—Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ. 

Francine was always fun-loving and enjoyed boating from the coast of Florida to the shore of Southern Connecticut. She and her husband would spend hours finding and collecting beach glass on the sandy beaches of Eastern Long Island, NY, as well as the beaches of the low country of South Carolina.

Francine is survived by her husband of 24 years, Bob Shaw, her stepdaughter Sydney Rae Shaw, her brothers Daniel (Pamela), William (Debra), Frank (Debbie), and sister Maryanna Samuel (John). Always being supportive, kindhearted, and known for placing everyone’s needs as priority in her life, Francine will be remembered by her siblings and her many nieces and nephews as being the “rock” of the family. Wherever life took her in her many travels for business or the many places that she lived she always tried to be there for family member either physically or just by placing her touch on that person by staying connected. Those were her gifts to her family, and she will truly be missed.      

Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, from 9:00am to 10:30am at The Gundrum Service “Home For Funerals” 237 Bordentown Avenue, South Amboy followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 256 Augusta St., South Amboy, NJ, at 11:00am. Interment will be the following day, Thursday at 12 noon at St. John the Evangelist Cemetery, 546 Saint John’s Place, Riverhead, New York.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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