Hello everyone,
For those of you who were not able to attend Shannon's service, I wanted to share my words.
Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. It is great to see so many familiar and new faces here to support my little sister. She was obviously deeply loved by all and it is wonderful to see everyone here showing that support.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Brian Vits and I am Shannon’s big brother. Shannon and I were very close, and I loved her with all my heart. I know she would want me speaking today, so I am going to do the best I can to capture what she meant to me and my family.
Shannon was a lot of things. She was incredibly strong, passionate, intelligent, and opinionated. These are traits that she received from my beautiful mother, Cindy O’Grady. She was also unusually kind, humble, laid back, and a great listener. These are traits she received from my father, Brian Vits. Shannon was also stunningly beautiful, attractive, funny, and charming. These traits came from her big brother.
Shannon meant so much to so many people. She was a daughter to Cindy O’Grady and Brian Vits. She was a sister to me. A step sister to Ben and Ryan Dicker. A step daughter to the late Andrea Linneman. She was a granddaughter, to Barbara Vits, here today. Also, to Robert Vits, who passed in 2021, to Shirley O’Grady, who passed in 2006, and to Bill O’Grady, who passed in 2011. She was a niece to Christene Vits, Dennis and Tracy Vits, Sharon O’Grady, who passed in 2009, and Bill and Catherine O’Grady. She was a cousin to James Mooney, Brandon and Mitchell Barnum, Kenny and Ketih Leverock, and Billy and Cedar O’Grady. She was also a girlfriend of 4 years to Jayden Spear. Most of the family I just mentioned is here today, and I speak for all when I say that she was a core piece of our family, and this piece can never be replaced.
For those of you who knew Shannon when she was a kid, you know that she was the cutest little girl in the whole wide world. Her and I should have been childhood models, and you can blame my parents on why they did not seize this cash cow of an opportunity while we were still young.
I remember how excited her and I would get on Christmas Eve. My Grandma Vits would send us “Reindeer food” that we would spread across our front yard and on the roof. I believe this was some just some flour in a Ziploc bag, but it made us so excited. We used to sneak into each-others rooms on Christmas Eve and talk about the presents we wanted from Santa the next day. And when I found out about Santa, I had so much fun watching her excitement around the holidays and playing along.
There is something that I want both of my parents to know today, and that is that Shannon and I had an amazing childhood. Both my parents did a fantastic job providing us with everything we needed, and it was filled with adventures, playing, and laughter. We had some great times on South Moore Ct, and that will forever be Shannon and I’s true home.
As we got older, Shannon and I’s relationship stayed very tight, as we went to all the same schools. Shannon was very intelligent, much more school smart than her big brother. She used to tell me about how when she would walk into a class for the first time, and when the teacher saw the last name Vits, they would instantly hate her. I have no idea why. There were a few teachers that I got along with really well that liked her even more, because of her last name, and those are the ones that I choose to remember.
I remember my Senior year at Chatfield Senior High School, Shannon was a freshman and was on the JV Poms Team, performing for her first time at the homecoming ceremony in front of the entire school. I waited for a perfectly quiet moment, and screamed at the top of my lungs, THAT’S MY SISTER! The entire gymnasium knew who Shannon was at that point, and she performed incredibly after that added pressure from her big bro.
After this some of my friends, who are here today, said to me “Wow, your sister is a great dancer!” To which I replied: “Shut up. Shut your mouths.”
Shannon and I were lucky enough to Travel the world together. We went on trips to Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, and the Virgin Islands. These trips will be something that I cherish for the rest of my life, and look back on fondly. She was my roommate for many of these trips, and we would have so much fun together. That is what I think I will miss the most, is the fun her and I were able to create when we were with each other.
The world that we live in today there is so much fake. Fake news, fake friends, fake people, fake everything. Shannon was the absolute exception to this, as she was as real as it gets. She never said anything she didn’t mean. She always spoke her mind, and told you hard truths, even if it was something that you did not want to hear. She was authentic. When you came to her with problems, she always had great advice and would truly listen to you. She lived in the moment, and didn’t fake anything. I will do my best to continue this way of living in her name.
Shannon’s loss is something that I will never be able to come to peace with. It is tragic, devastating and heartbreaking to me. She was stolen from us, for reasons that I will never understand. I do have a few pieces of information I would like to share with everyone though. Shannon’s last day on this earth was spent with my beautiful Aunt Christine, My beautiful girlfriend, Jaclyn Olson, and her cousin James. This day was spent relaxing, drinking Mojitos, and getting massages on the beach. At the end of this day, she described it to us as “The best day of her life” I’m not sure if Silver lining is the right word, but at least she was able to have this experience with loved ones, and she was truly happy at this moment in time.
The last words I said to Shannon were, “Goodnight, I love you”, and I hugged and kissed her on the forehead and went to bed. I wish that I could hug her again, tell her how much she meant to me again, and just make sure she knew that one more time.
It is now that I would ask everyone in this room for something. To make good choices and smart decisions. After seeing what one reckless decision has done to my family and friends, it is so important to understand that every decision you make in life can have repercussions and consequences. This is something that you only can learn the hard way. I am telling you first hand that this is the hardest way. Please consider how many lives your decisions and actions can affect, and take a moment to think about all that love you prior taking action.
I would also ask for everyone to watch out for one another. Check in on your friends and family often. Look out for one another. Be there when your friends are in need. Pop in on family, and tell them how much you love them. Watch out for one another, and the people you love as our time in this life is way too short.
Last year for Christmas, I got Shannon a gift card to our favorite restaurant growing up as kids, Macaroni Grill. There is still one location in Westminster as the location we frequented often in Littleton was shut down years ago. My rule with this gift was that she had to take me with her when she went. Shannon and I delayed our plans to go to Macaroni Grill together, and talked about finally making the trip up there after over a year this January. I regret delaying this date so much, and wish for nothing more to be able to take her to Macaroni Grill one more time.
Shannon, I will miss picking up the phone and talking to you about our days. I will miss sending each other songs and movies that we like. I will miss our game nights with Mom, and our travels with Dad. I will miss your smile, laughter, dancing with you, singing with you, and being around your beautiful personality. I love you Shanny Bannany, may your soul forever rest in paradise, and I cannot wait to see you again.
Thank you all again for coming and showing Shannon love. It is so amazing to see how much she was adored by so many of you. Thank you.
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