Andrew Michael Shannon

Beloved son, brother, friend, pain-in-the-butt, and all-around amazing human Andrew Michael Shannon noped out of this world Sunday, January 15 at the age of 34 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Drew was born October 12, 1988, in Junction City, Oregon, to Ike and Cheryl Shannon, the second of two children. Known as "Andy" in his early childhood, he later started going by Drew. At a young age, Drew took up taekwondo, ultimately achieving a 3rd place finish at the 2002 Junior Olympics, in the bantamweight red belt category. In high school, he continued his athletic pursuits as a member of the football and track & field teams. He heard the siren song of his father's firefighting profession at 16, becoming a fire cadet for North Douglass Fire and EMS. Following in both his parents' footsteps, he graduated from Umpqua Community College in 2011 with a degree in paramedicine.

Drew worked as a firefighter/paramedic for several agencies in Oregon before finding a home with Arlington Fire Department, Washington, in 2015. While at AFD, he helped shape the current ketamine protocol, assisted in founding the rescue swimmer program, and laid the groundwork for the creation of the peer support team. A truckie at heart, he decided to pursue his goal of working for a department where his primary job was to break stuff (purposefully, #truckwork). In August 2021, he landed his dream job at Las Vegas Fire Rescue, graduating academy in November 2021 as a member of the 7 Card Studs.

Drew was passionate about workers' rights, and in 2013 he helped organize Medix Ambulance in Oregon as a member of USW 1097. He was also an advocate for first responder mental health, spending time as a volunteer for the original version of The Code Green Campaign. He spoke openly about his own struggles with anxiety, depression, and PTSD with hopes of decreasing the stigma around these topics.

His favorite things included brussels sprouts, archery, Coors Light, watching hockey, grilling meat, the Oregon Ducks, being an argumentative troll (especially about politics), playing golf, screenprinting, spending time with his loved ones, and playing Minecraft and Rocket League (although saying he enjoyed playing Rocket League is probably a lie-his relationship with the game was tumultuous at best).

Described as a jack of many trades, but master of few, Drew could be the person least aware of his skills, talents, and best qualities, no matter how frequently he was reminded. He will be lovingly remembered for his mismatched socks, Dr. Pepper addiction, mentorship, utter lack of boundaries, dumb fake Southern accent, questionable selfies, intolerance of idiots, fruity underwear, financial stupidity, sleeveless shirts, and devotion to the profession. But above all of that, he will be remembered for his selflessness and his big heart-he always wanted the people important to him to be happy and okay.

Drew is survived by his parents, Ike and Cheryl Shannon of Cottage Grove, OR; older sister Lisa (John) Dunworth and niblings Squish, Squirm, and Andy Bob of Lebanon, OR; Hannah Gjerness of Inola, OK; Ann Farina, of Darrington, WA; his sweet girls, Dozer and Castle; LVFR 1A & 42B; Arlington Fire Department; and many other family members, dear friends, close collaborators, as well as a few nemeses.

A celebration of life will be held at the Cottage Grove Armory in Cottage Grove, OR, at 11 am, Saturday, February 18, 2023. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Drew's name to the First Responder Support Network at www.frsn.org.

Over the years, Drew created a playlist that he wanted to be shared after his passing. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/3xn4Ihv