Harrison Shaver

Butch was born in Paris, AR, on July 13, 1950; later, the family of five moved to Benson, LA, where he lived out his childhood.  His father was a salesman, and his mother ran a local country store.  Butch was enrolled in Pelican School near Mansfield, LA, and attended grades one through twelve.  He was a stellar basketball and track athlete and was chosen captain of his teams.

He went to Louisiana Tech, Southeastern College, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he earned his bachelor’s degrees in English and Journalism.  He took the LSAT to enter law school and passed with flying colors.  However, he decided to not continue working toward his law degree and attained a degree in education.  While there at LSU, he became a disc jockey and read the news for the campus radio station.

Butch began his teaching career at Hall Summit School in Red River parish.  There he met his future wife, Billy Sharon Bethany Jones.  They were instantly attracted to each other and were later married on September 24, 1976, and remained married for forty-seven years to the present.  They bought an eighty-acre farm in Red River parish with eighty-five head of cattle and worked diligently as proud farmers while teaching school and raising Sharon’s two young children, Christy and Ben, now, Christy Martinez and Ben O. Jones IV. 

As an educator, Mr. Shaver taught English, American History, and served as Assistant Coach of basketball.  He also refereed night games of local basketball teams.  After some time, Butch had “Enjoyed all the teaching he could stand”, and began to drive to Shreveport, LA, to work for the state as a Food Stamp employee.  He soon changed to Support Enforcement, and there, the seed was planted.  He met a true friend in Bob Phillips.  The department issued them guns and they began to hunt fathers for the court system.  While there he found his forever job in the state Department of Corrections in Probation and Parole.  He fell in love with protecting the innocent, searching for, and arresting the criminals, and locking them up.  He went on to find two of Americas Most Wanted, and the rest is history.  He became proficient in martial arts under David Hopper’s tutelage, and later earned his place in the art of defensive tactics in PPCT.  This is a national group that trains and certifies national and international students to be defensive tactics instructors and make them trainers of instructors.  He was one of two hundred in the nation at that time, and also, one of two in the state of Louisiana.  He taught the Department of Corrections employees and many other law enforcement groups in Louisiana.  He also worked for the US Marshals and partnered on cases with the CIA, ICE, and the FBI in an initiative called Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

Butch dutifully worked “full out” for 38 years, becoming the officer that always gave chase to anyone who tried to run from him.  He said he never “Chased anyone he didn’t finally catch”, and became famous for that on the streets of crime. 

He was a consummate healthy person all his working life.  However, after retiring, he was struck down at the young age of seventy-three, still loving law enforcement and assisting in their defense training classes.

He enjoyed embracing and loving his wife, Billy Sharon Shaver, as they travelled the USA in their various motorhomes with their beloved dogs.  He often reminisced about his close encounters in law enforcement and the wonderful lifelong friendships he had formed.  He enjoyed driving his two black trucks and his black Jeep, riding three fast black bicycles, and his Gold Wing motorcycle.  He still wears his “uniform” he established early on, a gray shirt and black pants.  This extended in all facets of his life….he wore this combination dress for exercise, casual, work when possible, and dress.  Whatever! 

Butch enjoyed watching self defense action movies, especially those that starred Liam Neesom, Jason Statham, Keanu Reeves, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, and Tom Cruise.  He also loved his heroes, John Wayne and Matt Dillon.  He owned every movie made of the Duke and every episode of Matt Dillon television shows.  Matt was his alter ego early on; and, he owns two autographed pictures of him.  Yep, Sharon and Butch watched lots of action every day and knew all the famous phrases that emanated from their lips, along with their signature backhand slaps that established the fact that they would win this battle!

He also enjoyed reading his books from his large personal library, always sitting in his Hero Room upstairs.  He loved US history, government, philosophy, politics, great authors, and the classics.  He also emanated his love of Americanism, the founding fathers, and patriotism at all costs.  All the while, never backing down from an opportunity to discuss and debate the issues of the day.  Butch deeply loved his ever-present canines belonging to him and his wife, Sharon, for their whole lifetime together.

Butch was a person of brilliant mind, who possessed an undying pride and love of his country, “The greatest experiment in history, if you can keep it”…the United States of America!!

In lieu flowers, please make donations to Tunnels 2 Towers.