A eulogy from his daughter...
It’s hard to find just one thing to describe him. To many people he was many things. No matter who you spoke to, he was a kind, funny, and free-spirited soul. His friendships, allegedly, span from a neighbor down the street to celebrities like Mark Wahlberg alike. To know he was so well loved by many people from different backgrounds only shows how his death was too soon. Our city knows how heartless we as people can be, but to see such a shining spirit as Shawn is what made Boston home to many of us.
He was the friendly neighbor making barbecues for the whole town. He was the biker whose over the top antics made even the rudest of drivers laugh. And his ever-growing family made this brother, son, father, and grandfather ever so proud.
As a father, he was never afraid to show his constant love and care for all of his family, even to the most distant. He was born into poverty as most of us minority Boston natives are, and he managed to stay afloat in the face of racial, socioeconomic, and familial stressors through his light-hearted nature. His humble beginnings informed how he was able to reach so many people. Worldly possessions were something he and everyone enjoyed, but he found the fruitfulness of life and living amongst those he respected much more appealing. He abided by this ideology so much so that he stayed in front of his son when bullets rang through the streets. Some would say he was an angel, or at least a someone we all should strive to be. I say he was my father who died too soon, and should be one of many examples of how our city needs to change for the better.