My brother-in-law (Heather’s brother) was shot and killed Friday morning in a small town outside of Marion, Indiana. Shannon Michael Lowe was protecting a family friend, whom we also knew and loved, from her husband. The husband shot our friend and Shannon before shooting himself; all three died within a matter of minutes.

These past few days have been rough without Shannon. He was a loving father, loving husband and loving brother. Never in my life had I met someone that was more genuine. Shannon made friends with ease everywhere he went. And it was never a surface friendship. It was always a personal, gut-level, visceral sort of friendship that seems to be so rare. But with Shannon, it was commonplace.

He wasn’t perfect; of course, nobody is. But Shannon strived to be a loving man and a provider for his friends and family. And he succeeded. Everyone that interacted with Shannon was blessed to have done so, and Heather and I feel especially blessed to have had him as a brother.

Shannon frequently began his conversations with me with the same phrase, “Hey buddy. Question for ya.” Those two sentences were so revealing. He meant it when he said I was his buddy (I was one buddy of many. The list of pall bearers for his funeral finally had to be limited to 16). And his questions were always insightful, revealing and genuine, exposing his outstanding character. Nothing was ever only surface deep with Shannon (except for his tattoos). Everything he did was real, whole-hearted and authentic. He always laid things out like they were, and to honor his memory, I’d like to do the same by closing this post with a public message to Shannon.

Hey Shannon, hey buddy. Question for ya. Did you know that I have never been so proud of anyone in my life as I am of you? You’ve touched so many lives, especially mine, and we’re all better people for having known you. You’ve left a legacy that we’ll carry on for you. Your family, your wife and your kids will all be cared for. And even though your physical presence will be sorely missed, we’re all blessed to have you in our hearts. Love you, bro.

Shannon Lowe’s Obituary

Saturday’s Newspaper Article (PDF)

Sunday’s Newspaper Article (PDF)

Monday’s News Video

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 9th, 2009 at 8:55 pm and is filed under Grant County and Beyond. Both comments and pings are currently closed.