Patricia Alice 'Pat' Shaw of East Lyme Died From EEE Virus

EAST LYME, CT—Patricia Alice "Pat" Shaw fought a heroic battle against breast cancer a quarter of a century ago. And won. Celebrated by her family in a beautifully written obituary as a strong and courageous woman, the 77-year-old from East Lyme could not fight the deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus she contracted in August.

A beloved and accomplished woman, she and her husband Dr. Gerald Shaw would have celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in November.

According to her obituary, she was hospitalized at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital on Aug. 30, but was soon flown via Life Star to Yale-New Haven Hospital where doctors diagnosed her with severe encephalitis.

Shaw passed away Sept. 19 surrounded by her family.

She was a wife, mother, lifelong learner, educator, nurse, “voracious reader,” literacy volunteer, an animal lover, a crocheting and needle-point artisan, and, a woman of “deep faith.”

Her family says her motto was, “Keep it simple, sweetheart.”

Read the full, at once celebratory and heartbreaking, obituary for Patricia Alice "Pat" Shaw here.

State health officials announced Tuesday that a second person has died from the EEE virus. The person, an adult from Old Lyme, was hospitalized with encephalitis in mid-September and is the second human fatality from the virus in Connecticut since 2013.