William “Bill” Shewciw Jr., an owner and breeder and former two-term president of the Louisville-based Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners Inc., died Thursday following a brief illness. He was 82.
Shewciw was born in Yonkers, N.Y. however, Kentucky was his heart and where he called home. He and his wife, Jean, were married 55 years and lived in several states, but it was the Kentucky landscapes, the Thoroughbred horses, and the large network of friends that kept them coming back and they retired in the Bluegrass.
Passionate about horse racing, Shewciw also served for several years on board of directors of KTO, an educational and social organization. Along with his wife, he enjoyed a few homebred winners– all sporting the familiar 'Shu' moniker in their names–Mr. Shu, Party Shu, Prince Shu, and Hyper Shu. And a hard-knocking claimer named Win Grammy Boy always seemed to find a win on a big night at Churchill Downs to fill the Winner's Circle with dozens of boisterous partners and Turf Club cronies.
Like a great character in a movie or novel, Shewciw, known to most as “Shu,” was never far from a racetrack, a restaurant, or a microphone. His vocation was sales, and he was an executive in the alcohol beverage industry for several major companies over his career including Heublein Inc., Glenmore Distillery, Brown-Forman Corp. and Young's Market Co. His primary focus was sales of wine and spirits to restaurants.
Shewciw was also well-known for his mastery of the American songbook classics. Shu would accept the microphone on any occasion to croon away his favorite ballad in a style of his own but reminiscent of Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, and Wayne Newton. He loved Hollywood and his career also afforded him an advisory position on the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission for several years. He and his wife often attended the Grammy Awards and several other red-carpet events in California.
Shewciw enjoyed a short career as an offensive guard with the Oakland Raiders before he was sidelined by injury. He attended Norwich University, the Senior Military College of Vermont, and was in the United States Army Reserve.
Shewciw is survived by his wife, Jean; and nieces Christine Waldron, Stephanie Cooper, Patricia Sullivan.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Kentucky Racetrack Chaplaincy Second Stride Inc. or the Louisville Orchestra.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated 12 p.m., Thursday, October 5, 2023, at St. Leonard Catholic Church, 440 Zorn Ave. in Louisville, with a private burial at Cave Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at Pearson's Funeral Home, 149 Breckenridge Lane in Louisville.
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