Clark Shaw’s family speaks on his impacting legacy
JACKSON, Tenn. — Clark Shaw, a beloved member of the community and owner of a popular tourist location, passed away due to COVID-19 complications. Shaw created the Casey Jones Village, a coast to coast tourist destination intended to share and create special memories with friends and family.
“We’re thankful for such a great man, and people loved him for the way he was. He wasn’t just a great man, he was a good man. People just wanted to be a part of what he was doing, whether that was coming here for a meal, or at church, or anything else. It’s just, you felt loved when you were around Clark,” Clark’s son, Brooks Shaw said.
In 1965, Clark Shaw’s dad started the family business, The Old Country Store. 13 years later, Clark bought 25 acres on the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 45, and opened Casey Jones Village.
“He would always say the store will never be finished, and I think he borrowed that from Disney, talking about Disney World. The village and the store will never be finished. If we would get to the point where we finished, then it’s time to do something else,” Shaw said.
Shaw says his dad was teaching him life lessons just from being around him even when he didn’t realize it.
“My earliest memory of the Old Country Store is trying to climb into this ice cream box over here and almost getting my entire body into the ice cream box to get some ice cream out,” Shaw said.
While Clark and Brooks made a lot of fun memories, Brooks says his father never failed to stop what he was doing and invest time in their guests.
“I would often be the one saying, ‘dad, we gotta do this other thing,’ and he would very gently remind me that what he was doing was more important. And that was creating memories for people, creating relationships with people,” Shaw said.
Brooks says his dad would want them to continue to open and serve guests, and that there is no better way to honor his legacy than to host the 36th annual Christmas Eve breakfast.
“That was dad’s idea and it started just as our Christmas gift to the community. I mean we were doing a $3.99 breakfast buffet and not making a penny on the day… really taking a loss on the day, but we have had people that have come every single year since the inception,” Shaw said.
Brooks says many people who have traveled through West Tennessee have stopped at the village.
Dedicating his life to hospitality and family, Clark’s mission was to create a gathering place for the community.
“If dad had a final message one of them would be don’t forget about us. Come back and enjoy a good meal and not for just my family’s sake but again for the nearly 100 people that work with us,” Shaw says.
Brooks emphasizes that the legacy Clark leaves behind is not just as a businessman, but as a human being who felt called to love others as he was loved.
“There are very big shoes to fill but I can’t fill them on my own. It’s going to take our whole organization stepping up and my family to fill one man’s legacy,” Shaw says.
Shaw’s visitation will be held in the village on Saturday, and Clark’s memorial service will be held virtually Sunday afternoon. To find more information on the Old Country Store’s announced arrangements for services, click here.
