A fundraiser has been started for the family of the man who passed away at Lake Whitehall this past Thursday. Through Monday morning, it had raised close to $30,000.

Nick Shaw, who lived in Upton, left a wife and two young sons. He had been fishing with them Thursday when he suffered “a medical episode,” according to the GoFundMe page. Efforts by fellow boaters and emergency personnel to save him were unsuccessful.

The fundraising page also notes that Shaw, 35, had been battling brain cancer.

“Nick fought the absolute strongest fight since Day 1 of brain cancer; never letting his illness define him,” the fundraising appeal reads. “In true Nick fashion, he set his goals high, tackled every appointment and therapy, head-on, with grace and gratitude.

“Nick showed up for everyone he loved, especially, his wife and children. Nick was the best dad and most supportive husband, always making sure his family was well taken care of. Nick shared his love of the outdoors with his family spending much of their free time hiking, fishing, boating, watching wildlife visitors on their trail cam and sitting in their yard enjoying his grass lines. Do we all remember the time he hiked 1.5 miles only three days post-op from craniotomy #2?! Strong, brave, and courageous doesn’t even seem to do him justice.

“The Shaws are some of the strongest people you’ll ever encounter, but even the strongest people need support. Nick’s sudden passing leaves his family with several unanticipated costs on top of navigating life without him.”

According to his obituary, Shaw had worked as a virtual design and construction (VDC) manager at the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. He was diagnosed with Grade 4 astrocytoma, an aggressive and terminal form of brain cancer, in January of 2022 after suffering severe headaches.

A visitation was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30, at a funeral home in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the city in which Shaw was born.