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Nancy Jo Eichenberger-Shaw

December 19, 1956 — December 21, 2016

Nancy Jo Eichenberger-Shaw

Nancy Jo Eichenberger-Shaw, age 60, of Ferndale, WA passed away on Wednesday, December 21, 2016. Nancy was born December 19, 1956 to Frederick Richard and Irene Henrietta Stomberg Eichenberger in Peoria, Illinois. Nancy graduated from Washington Community High School in 1975 with a liberal arts and sciences degree where she started her career in science under the tutelage of John B. Simmons, PhD.

At Illinois State University, she pursued and attained a Bachelor’s of Science in 1979, under the direction of Edward Jelks and Martin Nichols with a degree in Anthropology concentrating in primate studies and human remains. Nancy’s career in anthropology was short-lived, but full of interesting experiences in Southern and West Central Illinois working for Illinois State University Archaeology where she gained field experience in archaeology and the Foundation for Illinois Archaeology at Alexander and Kuhlman mounds as a field and laboratory archaeologist.

Nancy married David Dwight Shaw on June 28, 1980 in Peoria, Illinois. Shortly thereafter they moved to Fayettevill, Arkansas where David began his graduate degree in archaeology. Nancy worked for Arkansas Archeological Survey as a field and laboratory archeologist at Cedar Grove, a Caddoan Indian site which was overlying an historic cemetery. She also did work for the same organization at Fourche Creek and other locations.

Nancy and David moved back to Southern Illinois where they retrained, Nancy in medical technician work taught through Belleville Area College and David in horticultural work at the same facility. She received her Associate Degree in 1985. They started their family with the arrival of Jessica Lynn Shaw and later Adam Justin Shaw, and they later divorced amicably. Jessica is a research scientist for the Whatcom County Extension Service in Bellingham, Washington and Adam is a geologist for Peabody Energy in St. Louis, Missouri. Jessica is married to Thomas McMahon Chance of Bellingham and together they parents of Eliza Jane Chance. Adam is a faithful partner to Michael John Pohlman.

As the children grew up, Nancy moved on with her career taking a turn for Environmental Studies at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Illinois, graduating in 1998 with a Master’s of Science. Nancy pursued a career in water science, doing research to develop a bioassay to detect bacterial nutrients in drinking water while working with American Water Service Company. She also worked with parasites in drinking and source waters with the same company, paving her way to work as a contractor to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. While doing the contract work, Nancy helped to develop new testing for detecting parasites in source waters.

Nancy mover to live with her daughter and son-in-law in 2014. Nancy was honored to witness the birth of her first grandchild in 2016. Nancy attended Northminster Presbyterian Church in Finneytown, Ohio and the United Church of Ferndale in Ferndale, Washington.  A memorial service will be held Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, 3:00 PM at the United Church of Ferndale, 2034 Washington Street, Ferndale. 

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