Shannon L. Marshall

Shannon Marshall Obituary

Shannon L. Marshall

A ROCK OF

REFUGE

An Obituary in One Act for

SHANNON L. MARSHALL

SCENE: Two figures stand together behind a veil of ethereal, wispy clouds. A woman is dressed in a beautiful white gown with a shawl of rainbow colors, the other woman in a simple white gown. The veil of clouds lifts as the scene opens.

GOD: Welcome home,

dear Shannon.

SHANNON: Is thisâ€¦

heaven?

GOD: Yes my child. You have many people here looking forward to seeing you. Your father Robert, mother Jean, grandparents, aunts and uncles, nephew Eddie, step-mother Jean and many others.

SHANNON: When can I

see them?

GOD: Well, first, we have to do our intake, you know, review the ledger balance if you will.

SHANNON: Oh dear Lor.. um.. dear me.

GOD: (brings forth large 3-ring binder) Well let's pick up when you were President of the regional youth council for the Disciples of Christ Church. Um, it appears that you left due to a bit ofâ€¦ cannabis?

SHANNON: Well, I did grow up in New Mexico in the seventies.

GOD: Actually, I am hoping to myself that the legislature legalizes the good herb this year, so we'll just call this one even.

Next we have a thick chapter about your early acting career in Albuquerque. Quite a lot in here, but I see you actually played me once, in Dance with the Prime Mover. Perhaps some blasphemous parts in there, but you get extra points since you got such great reviews.

And then what do you have to say about the production of Equus, where you hired protestors to picket your own show to protest against the nudity?

SHANNON: (smiles mischievously) That did help sell out the show.

GOD: Hmmm, I suppose that's all in good fun. And then later in Flint where you directed and produced Children of a Lesser God with the Michigan School for the Deaf. You certainly earned points on the plus side of the ledger for that important production. Due to the merits of that play I think we can overlook some shenanigans with Stephanie.

SHANNON: You can see everything, right?

GOD: Yes, let's just keep moving and open the thickest chapter, "Shannon with Liz, Suki and other girlfriends"

SHANNON: (eyes wide) Oy vey, are you sure you really want to see everything?

GOD: (raises one eyebrow) Yes, Shannon, but let's just dig in. Certainly some, um, colorful stories in this chapter. I think I can address some of these when I see Suki and Liz- some serious good deeds will be required from the three of you to even the scales a bit â€" but I actually want to recognize what you did for your friends and their families. Many times, you were their rock of refuge during times of crisis, and you should know they are all eternally grateful for your love and care.

Now let's take a look at this important chapter with your husband, Geoff. You had many adventures in those years, more than many people have in lifetimes. You each knew this wasn't your first life together, and I suspect this won't be the last. Geoff wants you to know that he loves you still, and that he is sorry.

SHANNON: We loved greatly.

GOD: There are many hearts on earth that miss you deeply. Brother John, brother Bob and wife Susan, and their children Jennifer and her husband Jim, Robert Marshall III and his wife Emily, Ulysses, Suzzann and her husband Randy, step-siblings Kimber and Devin, godson Rafael, Michaella and your husband Geoff.

(places hand on Shannon's head) Shannon, your place in heaven is now secured, your pains washed away, your sorrows lifted. Please come now to see those who await.

Oh, and when you get to the eternal all-you-can-eat buffet, you'll find that some of the most popular dishes are your recipes. It's in my authority to steal them.

FADE TO BLACK

A memorial service for Shannon will be held on Thursday, January 14th at 2:00pm, streaming via YouTube, with Rev. Dawn Rosignol of Monte Vista Christian Church.

www.montevista.org

The family asks for support of the Roadrunner Food Bank, www.rrfb.org, in honor of Shannon's service to others.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Albuquerque Journal on Jan. 10, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for Shannon Marshall

8 Entries

Mark Gauert

February 19, 2025

One story, from so many: One day at lunch at La Hacienda in Old Town Albuquerque, Shannon thought it would be funny if we pretended she was my girlfriend from France. She was such a creative and skilled actor - we'd all known it since drama class at Sandia High School. She slipped right into the role of an exchange student, accent, French name and all; and I played along. "Where is your girlfriend from?" the older couple at the next table asked, convinced by her performance in the dining room. "Nice,'' I said, pulling the name of the first French city I could think of out of the air. "Oh, that's so nice!" they said. "You're a cute couple." We laughed so hard about that, the rest of the day. It's just one story, from so many. But we made each other laugh like that so many times more. Till we couldn't see straight. Till snot ran out our noses. (Ok, maybe too much detail). She was my pal, and I loved her. We went to the Santa Fe Opera and to my friend Matt's ranch near Capitan and to her prom and so many other places over the two years we were together. But we fell out of touch, not long after high school. The last time I saw her, my dad was driving me to the airport after Christmas break in Albuquerque to fly back to school in the Midwest. There she was near an intersection on Juan Tabo Boulevard, waiting for a bus at the stop. I rolled down the window and called out to her. "Write to me!'' she said. But the light changed, people behind us were honking and we didn't get a chance to exchange addresses. I never heard from her again, 40 years on. Until, sadly, this obituary. Which is just a masterpiece - and so her. I've known that she hasn't been with us for awhile now. I - and you - may wonder why it's taken me so long to say something here about my friend, Shannon Leah Marshall. One of my best friends, I know now. I think because there are so many stories I could tell, I didn't know where to begin. Until today. Until this one I just pulled out of the air. Thank you for the laughter, the snot - and the memories, dear friend. "Cueillez des aujourd-hui les roses de la vie," is something a boyfriend from Nice might have thought to say that day in Old Town. It would have been nice.

In loving memory, Mark Gauert

Emily Estes

July 8, 2021

What a spicy woman! I loved your humor, your sarcasm and pizzaz. You helped me, encouraged me, and shared some special wisdoms. Love always!

William Gauert

January 16, 2021

Our remembrance of Shannon go back to her high school days at Sandia High School. We wish our sincerest condolences to her family. Dr. & Mrs. W.B. Gauert

Teresa Quintana -- DeMenge

January 11, 2021

Oh gosh, I haven't seen Shannon since high school but she was such a kind, soft spoken beautiful soul. God Bless you Shannon. +++

Gail Rubin

January 11, 2021

What a wonderful way to share Shannon's life story! I've highlighted this obituary at The Family Plot Blog as a creative example for others to learn from. Hope it's okay to share. Here's the link: https://wp.me/p42jYh-7vF

Suki John

January 10, 2021

A beauty, an artist, a force of nature. You helped make me who I am, and you will be in my heart forever.

Karen Turner

January 10, 2021

What a spirit! Beauty, creativity, curiousity, compassion and kindness all in one lovely person. I will always be grateful for her presence in my life, and for the small adventures shared. Thanks for the best obit ever!

LizAsher

January 10, 2021

To my best friend . I can hardly remember a time in all the years that we were friends that we didn’t know everything that was going on in each others lives. We had so much fun together, so many wonderful memories. We held each other up through the hard times . You are my heart sister. I give thanks for all the love that we shared .I will always have you in my heart my dear Shannon .
Love always Lizzie♥

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