Surrounded by the cards, flowers, notes, drawings, scents, angel figurine, and heart-shaped rock showered upon her by the many loving friends, family members, and neighbors in her final week of life, Charlotte Susan Anufrom Shaw died peacefully at home in the early morning hours of July 18, 2022, following a nine-month battle against a rare and aggressive cancer in her brain. Radiation treatment in early May followed months of inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy. She was preparing to enter a stem cell trial at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but covid in late-May dealt a devastating blow to her immunocompromised body.
Susan (known as “Sue,” “Susu,” “Susie Q,” “Mom,” and “Nana” to those closest to her) did not know the chances for the stem cell trial to be successful because the doctors did not know themselves. Her inoperable CNS lymphoma was so rare that oncologists have been unable to perform expansive studies. Even unassured of a worthwhile outcome, Susan soldiered on—wanting to do the trial with hopes that it could extend her life and contribute to research which might help other CNS lymphoma patients.
Even after her final hospital discharge on July 8 and entrance into at-home hospice care, Susan’s fight did not cease. Any further cancer treatments depended on her ability to regain strength. She did her best to eat despite her body’s aversion to food; she sat in the sunshine on her deck, surrounded by vibrant hues of flowers and songs from the myriad backyard birds, doing arm exercises. She engaged in life-affirming conversation, art-viewing, music-listening. She requested that her nails be polished with lavender.
But covid robbed Susan of the opportunity to embark upon the stem cell trial, her last chance to extend the exuberant, robust life she curated daily—one filled with nature, and plants inside and outside the home; friends both furry and feathered; knitting, crafting, and reading; cooking, baking, dining, and entertaining. Susan always enjoyed music and dancing, too, and as a girl growing up in Dedham, MA, she’d hurry home to watch American Bandstand—developing and honing some sassy moves. As a teenager, Susan attended her first concert: Janis Joplin at the Ridge Arena in Braintree, MA, in 1968.
As a young woman, she worked at London Records and over time amassed a collection of records by music history’s finest, most noteworthy artists.
Susan spent her girlhood as a self-described “tomboy,” playing baseball with the neighborhood boys. She maintained a love of sports and, sadly, watched the Boston Celtics lose the 2022 NBA Finals. As a mother, she involved her son and daughter in organized sports, and she drove three hours roundtrip while feeling unwell to see her grandson play soccer last year. This is how much relationships meant to Susan. This is how far she would go to bring joy to others and share in life’s most precious moments.
Susan touched many lives with her energetic zeal. She is survived by Danielle Shaw, her daughter, of South Easton, MA; Tamryn Spruill, Danielle’s fiancée, of South Easton, MA; grandson Cooper Shaw, of South Easton, MA, and Beverly, MA; siblings Charles Anufrom of Melbourne, FL, Joyce Anufrom Chagaris of Westwood, MA, and Arthur Anufrom of Carver, MA; lifelong friend Julie Riley, of Walpole, MA; “soul sister” Margie Ellis, of Norton, MA, and countless other friends, family members and neighbors, new and old, who touched her life, especially in her final days.
She also leaves behind Gertie, the family cat, of South Easton, MA.
Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Barbara Anufrom, of Dedham, MA; Michael J. Shaw, her husband of 44 years, of South Easton, MA; Michael J. Shaw, Jr., her son, of South Easton, MA; dogs Nico, Brandy, and Bishop; and cats Samantha, Muffy, Trixie, and Jegs.
Susan spent more than a decade caretaking for her husband until his death from cancer and Alzheimer’s in 2020. Despite the profound grief of losing her husband and son within a three-year span, Susan sought a fresh start and thought she’d have the time to cultivate it. She expected to put cancer behind her and soak up this summer’s sun—wearing sundresses in happy colors, perhaps with fingernails painted lavender.
Susan will be laid to rest on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at George F. Doherty & Sons Wilson-Cannon Funeral Home, 456 High Street, Dedham, MA. The visitation is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the funeral service beginning immediately after.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund
in Susan’s name.