Shawkey Emile Saba
(March 29, 1928 - March 28, 2014)

Shawkey Emile Saba ceased his earthly life March 28, 2014. He was a resident of Rome Township, Ohio for the past 44 years.  He was born March 29, 1928 at St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington, WV and was the son of the late Hazel Ann and Andrew E. Saba of Charleston, WV. He was a 1946 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School in Charleston, attended Boston School of Art, and majored in Journalism at Morris Harvey College in Charleston where he was art editor of the student newspaper and college yearbook; he also drew editorial and sports cartoons for the Charleston Newspapers.
He was employed as an artist in the display department of The Diamond and Stone & Thomas department stores in Charleston. In 1946 he was a candidate for the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California, but a cartoonist strike prevented employment. Employed for forty-one years as staff artist at WSAZ-TV in Huntington, he retired in June 1990. As the first artist with WSAZ-TV he originated the first locally-produced cartoon show entitled "Let's Doodle" – a TV program instructing children the basics of art and cartooning. He later appeared on various live studio programs entertaining studio audiences with musical illustrations. His time spent with WSAZ-TV spans a wide assortment of artistic contributions. Some artwork is still being used to this day – such as the Saba created WSAZ-TV company logo which adorns the front of the building as well as the company vehicles and news logos. He also created station logos for radio WKEE and K-97 in Huntington.  In 1952 he was baptized and married in the First Christian Church in Charleston. In 1956 he moved to Huntington and became a member of the First Presbyterian Church. Shawkey was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge No. 53 in Huntington and a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a Noble in the Beni Kedem Shrine Temple of Charleston, YMCA Board of Directors member and inducted in 2011 to the WV Broadcasting Hall of Fame in Huntington. Shawkey is survived by his one and only wife of 61 years Lena Bernadine Lowe Saba, Sister Lila Lee Damous of Charleston, and a host of nieces and nephews from Florida, Texas, North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Funeral services will be held at 11 am Tuesday, April 1 at the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, and officiated by the associate pastor Skip Seibel and Dr. John Minihan. Internment service will follow at 1:30 pm at the Saba Family plot in Sunset Memorial Park in South Charleston, WV In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to First Presbyterian Church Choir Fund, 1015 5th Ave., the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House of Huntington, or the Cancer Society. Klingel-Carpenter Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.