Shannan passed away peacefully at her home in Tucson, Arizona on June 25, 2021 surrounded by her husband and two sons after a battle with brain cancer. She was 63 years old. Shannan was born in Albuquerque, NM and grew up in Chambers, Arizona with her niece Tracee and nephew Marty on and near the Navajo Indian Reservation.
In her youth, Shannan was heavily involved in 4H and the recipient of a 4H scholarship to attend college at the University of Arizona. In college, Shannan was elected to be a Student Regent. She received both a BS and a Juris Doctor degree from the UofA.
While in college she co-founded Tracer Research Corporation, an international underground tank and pipeline leak detection company that had offices worldwide. Her company received the Copper Cactus Award for the Best Place to Work in Pima County and in 2011 Shannan was named a Tucson Women of Influence. She eventually sold Tracer Research to a Fortune 100 company and began flipping houses and working in real estate.
However, her true passion was in giving back to the community and environmental conservation. Shannan loved the Gulf of California and the Sonoran Desert region. Shannan was an avid scuba diver with thousands of logged dives and explored the Sea of Cortez for several decades. She was co-founder and past President of the Sonoran Sea Aquarium which was part of the original Rio Nuevo plan. The aquarium found a permanent home as the Warden Aquarium at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. Shannan served on the Board of Directors of the Tucson Botanical Gardens and as a Trustee for the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. She spent many years as a Desert Angel promoting startup companies. Shannan was a longtime member and Past President of the Old Pueblo Rotary Club, responsible for many projects over the years to benefit the community. In 2020, Shannan was inducted into the 4H Hall of Fame.
Shannan was also passionate about travel. She would find last minute travel deals to different parts of the world and taught her family how to travel abroad for 10 days out of a carry-on bag. She loved museums and loved learning about new places.
Shannan is survived by her husband Chris, sons JW & Wyatt, with whom she shared with her former spouse Glenn (Martha), and stepdaughters Leslie & Lindsay (Nate), granddaughters, siblings Lurleene, Mickey, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and her dog Rubicon.
Shannan was one of the rare ones that was constantly accomplishing good things and enjoying life to the fullest – and, making sure the rest of us did too – which made her a blessing to all of us.