Shannon lost both her parents in a week. Condolences. Here is what Shannon wrote (Insgram)
From Shannon, regarding her dad
My dad. Died two weeks ago. He was Mr. America & Mr. Universe. A bodybuilder first and foremost. It was his first love. His passion. It coursed through his veins. It was almost all he thought about. He began his journey at 18 and it ended in his 40s though he always kept training till he was 70. He believed it should be about health as much as looks. He believed in the ability to transform ourselves through dedication, consistent work & discipline. He wholeheartedly believed in natural bodybuilding and started the first drug tested competitions in the 70s. He was a committed bodybuilder to himself, his clients & gym devotees.
I had good memories of my dad growing up. Throwing me in the pool so sky high I would scream! He always tucked me in at night and in the summer months cooled my pillow down against the air conditioner so I wouldn’t be hot. I remember he would never let me win at checkers & I tried. I waited almost everyday for him to come home from work to try and beat him. It never happened. To this day I am fiercely competitive. Was it the checkers games? I remember our bowling Tuesdays (yes we each had our own bowling balls) and again he never let me win, and our miniature golf Saturday’s too when I was young. You guessed it, I never won there either. He was an amazingly honest person, probably the thing I respected most about him. You never got a lie or, an embellished story. He always returned a found wallet cash and all even when he was broke. He always did his best to never let me down.
I meant a lot to him. I always knew that. We had our ups and downs but, I know he did the best he could with what ability he had to be a father. The last 10 years of his life he suffered greatly in pain from back ailments that stemmed from his car accident at 18 years old where he shattered both legs. 7 back surgeries in the last 10 years and none of them helped. The pain continued and increased. Now you don’t have to suffer anymore dad. The pain is over. Nite nite dad. Don’t let the bed bugs bite. If they do bite bite em back. How? Hard. Something he always said when he tucked me in for sleep.
From Shannon, regarding her mom
My mommy. My sweet little mommy. She died almost 3 weeks ago, days before my dad died. She was priceless. No words will ever be able to express the love I have for her & how terribly much I miss her. She was my best friend for most of my life & I was her everything. She was precious & sweet, kind and gentle. She was BADASS too her whole life and simply the coolest mom. I was desperate for her as a kid, wanted every moment to be with her and I cried everyday she left for work in the summers. I spent my childhood and teenage years doing any & everything with mom. We baked a lot!!! Chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and lemon bars. We went to dinner & movies a lot. She let me see all the movies parents never let their kids watch.
Everyone wanted my mom for their mother. She let me stay up late too. Some days depending on the job she had I went with her to work, mom & me for the day. I remember us walking Venice beach on Sunday’s arm in arm getting slices of pizza to share. We watched Golden Girls and 227 in her bed together every week painfully laughing. She did the best table arrangements for every big holiday. She was super artistic. She had a passion for health and nutrition. Always reading about anti-aging & things to keep you healthy and youthful. She got excited about simple things.
She loved food! Nothing excited her more than going out to dinner and getting a great big burger or steak. Oh-oh and the bread basket, “extra butter please!” she’d say. And with every meal needed an extra side of sliced raw red onions 🤪 She loved a champagne split. And she loved cheesecake! She loved to talk about history and old Hollywood. She was amazed about technology especially things like iPhones and the internet or, as she called it “the computer.” She loved color!!! Obsessed with color and she might wear many colors at once.
My mama taught me about makeup and skincare, vitamins and gardening... my love of my garden came from her. Moms biggest lesson was to “be you” she taught me to be true to myself. She never cared what others thought. DO YOU. She is my heart & I carry her with me every moment. We always always said “I love you” so mama, I LOVE YOU 🌈
