Shannon Marie Beck

Shannon Beck was born at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii on 12 December 1969. Shannon was the third of five children born to her parents Dwight and Catherine Beck. As a member of a military family, Shannon was afforded the opportunity to live and be educated in several States within the United States, and in foreign countries such as Canada and Germany. Shannon was a good student, and a very gifted athlete. Participation in sports, both in school and on clubs, was a very important part of her life throughout her formal education years. She graduated from Carsile High School in Carsile, PA in 1988 where she had distinguished herself as star player on the basketball, softball, soccer and field hockey teams. As a freshman, she started on the boys' varsity soccer team – a first at that school. Shannon's athletic future was bright at that point and several top colleges were attempting to recruit her until she suffered a serious knee injury which would have ended the career of most athletes. But typical of Shannon's determination, she overcame that injury and five subsequent knee operations, two of them reconstructive surgeries, to attend Kent State University as a walk-on to compete as a goalie on the women's field hockey team – a sport she had excelled at in high school. Not only did she make the team, but she became the starting goalie in her sophomore year, won two conference championships, and was named to the Mid-American Conference and regional all-star teams, and to the All-American Women's Field Hockey Team as a senior, and still holds collegiate field hockey records for goalies. Following her graduation from Kent State University in 1993 with a degree in Criminal Justice, Shannon was accepted into the Nashville, TN Metropolitan Police Academy, where upon graduation she achieved her life-long ambition of becoming a police officer. She served on the Nashville police force proudly and earned distinction during her ten years of service before being medically retired. She then worked as an in-home care giver for the State of Tennessee until illness hospitalized her in May of 2014. In October of 2013, Shannon was invited back to Kent State University and was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame in recognition of her distinguished athletic career accomplishments. After a hard fought battle, Shannon, at the age of 44, succumbed to a terminal illness at Vanderbilt University Hospital on 18 June 2014, and services will be held at the Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary and Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, CO, 10am, Pavilion of Reflection on 30 June 2014. This very talented, but very simple and loving person has touched many people in an enduring manner during her short span of life, and will be long and fondly remembered by those who were fortunate enough to have known her. In lieu of flowers, her family has requested that memorial contributions be made in Shannon's name to the Happy Tales Humane, at http://happytaleshumane.com, or email Kate Runyan at donations@happytaleshumane.com.