Radio Man Stephen Quinby Shannon, Jr. signed off for the last time and became one with the ether on January 4, 2021, at the age of 86, just a month and a half shy of his 87th birthday. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in July and eagerly started treatment, excited to fight the disease, but honestly, his family is convinced he was mostly excited to have new people to talk to and entertain in the chemo room. Despite a remarkable improvement after his initial chemotherapy and an attempt at targeted immunotherapy, the cancer and the treatments took a toll on his body. A pandemic that required him, a lifelong extrovert, to distance himself from people was perhaps the most painful aspect of the last nine months. In the spirit of giving back, Steve donated his body to the University of Miami for medical research.

Steve was born on February 20, 1934, in Boston, MA, to Elsie and Stephen Q Shannon Sr. He grew up in Great Neck, on Long Island, NY. From an early age, he developed a love of horses, radio, and motion picture and still photography, the latter he learned from his father. Stephen Sr. was a remarkable animal photographer -- always able to capture the heart and soul of his furry subjects -- as well as an accomplished candid and portrait photographer. Steve Jr. passed on his love of black and white photography to his children, building their first darkroom in the basement of their Kansas City, KS home.

Steve contracted polio as a child, which led to one leg being shorter and one foot smaller, with less range of motion. This didn't stop him from playing tennis, riding bikes, learning to ski, or dancing ridiculously any chance he got. His whole life, he had to buy two pairs of shoes to make them fit, until, in later years, he started getting custom-made shoes.

He fell in love with horses and started playing sandlot horseback polo. He befriended the Grubers, owners of El Chorro Lodge, an historic restaurant, and their employees (later to become owners) Joe and Evie Miller.

His love of Tom Mix radio serials had primed him for the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Surrounded by saguaros, cholla jumping cactus, Camelback Mountain, mesquite, and palo verde, Steve lived a western dream that must have seemed like unobtainable fantasy back in Great Neck. He would ride from school to El Chorro by horseback to see his friends.

In the late 1950s, he returned to Phoenix to work for KPHO television. In addition to his staff duties, he was occasionally recruited to portray a goofy foil named Max on the It's Wallace! show (before it became Wallace and Ladmo).

Marrying Laurine instantly gave Steve a daughter, Deborah, from Laurine's previous marriage and he fell in love immediately. He adopted her through legal channels, but only ever thought of her as "his daughter." In 1969, Stephen Q. Shannon, III was born, followed by their daughter Kathleen in 1971, and the family roster was complete with the arrival of a third daughter and fourth child, Logan Michelle, in 1975.

The family station wagon and Chevy suburban road trips were epic. Before Branson, MO became a big deal, it was the annual site of the National Association of Broadcasters convention. The whole family would go every year, sometimes stopping at local water slide attractions on the way.

One year, there was a plan to visit Montana, but logistics prevented the family from going that far, so they shifted the itinerary to Minnesota, where they all learned the hard way that the state bird was the mosquito! They rented a camper and took a trip to Death Valley one year with longtime friend of the family Bruce Marr. There were several trips to Arizona, where the family had the privilege of staying in guest cottages in the back of Steve's beloved El Chorro Lodge restaurant. The Millers let the family order anything they wanted from the menu! Their famous cinnamon sticky buns never disappointed.

The Work

Steve's love of radio was grounded in the nearly extinct concept of a radio station serving its community. His work in radio took him and his family from Princeton, NJ to Omaha, NE, to Kansas City, KS, to Des Moines, IA, running stations WOW, WHO, and KCMO. The management of the Meredith Corporation realized that if they had a station that was underperforming, they could send Steve in to turn things around. He ran AM/FM sister stations -- usually the FM being the music station and the AM being news and talk radio. With community events, interactive shows and contests to engage the public, and more focused engagement with advertisers (the lifeblood of a radio station), he turned sleepy radio stations into award winners.

Steve was passionate about his work, and was known for "monitoring" the radio stations every day and night, no matter where he was. He could often be found on a couch on the weekend, "resting his eyes," with a transistor radio turned down low, resting on the side of his head. There were radios on in every room of the house, and he always made an effort to patronize the local businesses who bought advertising time on his stations.

After Steve's move with Palmer Communications to Florida in the early 90s, he decided to leave the radio business. He found a new career as a contract career trainer, working for Pratt & Whitney. Steve absolutely loved his one-on-one sessions with employees from every level of the company. Whether it was someone looking to rise in the ranks of Pratt & Whitney or someone wondering about next steps after a layoff, the focus was always on the person -- their ambitions, desires, dreams -- and finding the best way to make them a reality. He also offered his services online, often providing pro bono work and pay-what-you-wish for those in transition.

Crossing Many Paths

Steve and Laurine signed up for some remarkable cultural exchanges. These included foreign exchange students, but the family also hosted Japanese teachers while living in Omaha, NE. There was a foreign exchange broadcaster while in Omaha and again in Kansas City, when Dyson, from Malawi came to live with us and work at KCMO radio.

The door and the kitchen to the Shannon house was always open to neighbors and friends, and Steve's natural ability to make friends with everyone he met introduced his children to traditions and cultures not always easily accessible in suburban midwestern towns, while also instilling in them the joy of meeting new people.

Steve made personal connections wherever he went, whether it was work, play, grocery store, church, car wash -- he was the kind of person who would immediately draw out of you what you were passionate about and he always made an impression. Everywhere he went, be it walking through an airport, in a grocery store, moving to a new neighborhood in a new state, there would be someone who recognized him and ran up to say, "Hey -- remember me? I worked for you at . . ." or "One time you told me . . . and I never forgot it."

His interpersonal skills were only matched by his shockingly loud and sudden sneeze/yells (which his son inherited), his equally loud (but not as sudden) snoring, and his superpower: the ability to make any salad ingredient crunch audibly with his mouth closed (no matter how drenched in dressing).

Steve leaves behind his wife of 52.416 years, Laurine; his four children, Deborah Huelsbergen (Anselm Huelsbergen) of Columbia, MO, Stephen Q Shannon III of Los Angeles, CA, Kathleen Mourek (Matt Mourek) of Geneva, IL, and Logan Michelle Shannon (Derek Janiak) of Manchester, NH; his grandchildren Caitlin and Logan Matthew Mourek, Rianna and Lili Huelsbergen; and his late sister Pat's children Steve and Kelly Austin.

We love and miss him, more than he'll ever know.

A website in his honor has been set up at: stephenqshannonjr.com and will serve as a living memorial as well as give friends an opportunity to share memories of their own.

Our memorial website will have many more memories, along with photos and video, but here are a few:

Laurine remembers -- Steve jumping on the bed at 5:30 am, squirting her with a water gun.

floors, jazz bands and port-a-potties. He would have wanted all his friends to be there. But even

without Covid, this could not have really happened. There is not a venue in the world large

enough to hold all of Steve Shannon's friends. This man never met a stranger and was instantly

friends, best friends, with everyone he met. Even at his chemo sessions he saw these as a way

to "network" (a favorite word of his) and to make friends. He had a story about everything and

everyone and would share a joke or a tongue twister or a smile. Our world came crashing down

yesterday when our dad died but I am finding comfort in memories. My siblings and I shared

stories and memories and we know that there are others around the world who share happy,

funny, silly and uplifting memories of our father. We could not be there and this is very, very

difficult but maybe someday there will be a party. A huge party to match his huge spirit. Stephen

my Dad, they suddenly realized where I get my humor from! Any claims to originality on my part

went out the window!

From Kathleen -- There are so many memories I have with my Dad. As a kid it was hard for him

to spend what he felt was quality time with us because of his work schedule and my goal to be a

"professional soccer player." Our special day landed on a Saturday where we could spend it

however we wanted. My special day consisted of Long John Silver's for lunch then to Putt-Putt

golf. I rarely deviated from this plan. I looked forward to it and was never disappointed. He felt

like he was not around enough. He brought this up recently. As a kid...I thought he was the best.

Who else's dad spent a lot of one-on-one time when there were other siblings? I felt special and

Logan remembers -- her Dad teaching her, in great detail, how to shave her face -- a skill she

has not needed to use once to this day.

From Caitlin -- My small family's world came crashing down yesterday as one of the brightest,

loving, & the probably worlds greatest comedic genius, has left us. I was his first grandchild

making my bond with him so unique as he taught me the ways of understanding when and

where to use the correct puns and comedic relief. He taught me how to communicate with

people and gave me the ability to bring a smile to a strangers face. The wit and charm this man

around.

From Lili -- one of the brightest, goofiest, kindest and most loving man and grandfather has left

us. I was the youngest granddaughter making it hard for me because everyone else was older

then me. He taught me everything I knew about jokes, storytelling, history and how to be a kind

human being. Doing so he created a bond with me that nothing could break. Over my 16 years of

life I've had the honor of knowing this great man and learning all about his life. He loves brightly

colored shirts and hats, you would never see him without either. He loved bike rides before he

became too fragile for that. He loved making new friends, literally everywhere he went he made

a new friend or gave some advice that would stick forever. When he got diagnosed I started

him but I know it's not possible. I hope that you can read this in the afterlife if there is one

Grandpa. I know you will watch over me and send me signs that you are still here. Say hi to

everyone for me. I love you to the moon and back & I miss you more then you can imagine. Hug

your loved ones a little extra tonight because I couldn't. Rest in paradise to the greatest man I

know ♥