I remember when we were kids uncle Shawn would drive us around Taiwan and entertain us by doing funny voices. My favorite of his voices was Poindexter. Every time he would scrunch up his nose and pretend to push up his glasses, we would all laugh uncontrollably. Rest easy, Uncle Shawn.
2
All my earliest TAS memories are riddled with Mr. O’Neal’s infectious laughter. As a kid, I always looked forward to seeing him in the cafeteria as he would always crack jokes and make us laugh while serving up the most delicious meals. Thank you for warming our hearts and bellies.. my mom and I were very sad to hear about his passing but know that he will not be forgotten. My condolences to the family, your father was truly a great man. 🤍
2
My name is Ted LaSalvia. I only recently reconnected with Shawn and never knew that he was battling cancer. Sean and I went to Oceanside high school in Oceanside California. Sean was one of the most remarkable runners I’ve ever had a chance to run with. We both ran cross-country and track and Shawn was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. I actually searched for him online and was happy to have found him on Facebook, knowing that he was living in Taipei. Now I’ll always remember his unique smile, his extremely large heart, and his beautiful personality. The world is at a loss for his passing. I remember when Sean was in college studying Chinese. I now see that he had made a wonderful life in Taipei. My heart goes out to his family and all of his loved ones whom I’ve never met. Please feel free to reach out to me if you ever want to hear any stories from when he was in high school . Shawn has a beautiful soul and was loved by many people. May God grant us the strength to carry on without him..
3
News of Shawn's passing comes as a complete shock to me. I'm sorry I did not even know he was sick.
I met Shawn in the Fall of 1980 in Chinese class at Dartmouth. We both studied Chinese there long enough to participate in Chinese language abroad programs - but we went to different programs. We fell out of touch with each other after college until re-connecting on Facebook. Though we never again met face to face, I was so glad to see his posted pictures and to read about his adventures (and sometimes just his day to day workouts).
At school, his smile and generally cheerful, laughing demeanor always made everyone happy to be around him. I could tell from his FB presence that he never lost this quality. For several years now, I often thought that I would visit him in Taiwan one day and he would take me to his favorite surfing spots (among other places). Shawn was taken from this world much too soon!
2
I met Shawn in 1979 when he was still in high school. A lot of runs together around the Oceanside area with Erica, Shawn, and a host of his buddies. He was always such a star!! I was proud to know him and am so very sorry he was taken so young! Much love to ll his family! He will not be forgotten!
1
2022, Tianmu, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Running into Shawn at our favorite restaurant, Chen guo (Nationwide healthy vegetarian)
— with
Yu-ting Braddock
2
I'm very sad to learn of Shawn O's passing. We overlapped for a year at Dartmouth 1980-1981. I was expecting an Irish guy from Boston with that name. I still remember how we all thought he was crazy getting up at 630 am to go to Chinese class. Shawn O' did not like running in the snow and would do seemingly endless indoor laps in Leverone Field House during the New Hampshire winters. I saw him once again during a reunion week at Dartmouth perhaps 1985 or 86. We then reconnected via Facebook last year. I learned his daughter was attending my "other" alma mater. Shawn was a positive person with a lovable goofy side combined with a fierce competitive streak. Wo xiang ni, wo de lao pengyou.
3
I knew of Shawn from his sister Erica and their mom, but never had the privilege of meeting him. I know that he was loved by the Powdrill family, and I enjoyed hearing stories about him. I wish peace for his family and the comfort that he will be ever present in their hearts.
0
I'll always remember Shawn from his St Mary days. He was sweet and loved to tease. I'm sure he drove Erica crazy at times. I remember Maimi finding empty Tupperware containers under his bed. She couldn't keep cookies from him. I'll always think of him as "Cookie". My heart breaks for his entire family. A good man gone way too soon. May God bless all of them.
0
I haven’t been on Facebook for two weeks, but tonight I got a text from a good friend telling me the news. To be honest, I really don’t want to believe this is true…
In March this year, I contacted you because a good friend passed away. I also heard that you were infected with Covid-19 and recovered at home for a long time, but I didn’t expect the symptoms to be quite severe...
I lost two lovely and kind friends this year, and you were one of them. We have been friends for over ten years and I know you as a person who always has a big smile on your face, has a positive personality, is fun, humorous, loves the outdoors, is friendly and easy-going.
Why would God take away such a good person? To be honest, I really don’t know...and don’t want to know, because when I heard the news, I was really...really sad...
Looking at many photos, memories take me back to the past. I believe you will have a wonderful and fulfilling life.
Anyway, thank you for your humor and bringing a lot of laughter to our group of friends. I believe you will become a happy angel in heaven and continue to spread love and happiness to everyone!
Sending my deepest condolences and prayers for his family. R.I.P ❤🙏🙏
0
2022, Taipei City, Taiwan
1
Mr Red Shoes is what I called him due to he ran in red shoes in High school. He was such a an awesome guy. To his family I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for comfort for y'all. 🙏🙏💔💔🙏🙏
0
This sad news came out of the blue when I logged on today, and it hit me like a gut punch. Though I have not seen Shawn in person since we last visited Taiwan in 1990, we remained in touch and I will miss him. He was a good man, down to earth, funny, and intelligent. He lived his life well, and I am certain he battled cancer valiantly. To this day, I remain in awe of his facility and fluency in Mandarin and wish I could speak half as well as he could. My deepest condolences to Ellen, Brandon, and Monica.
1
2015, Taiwan
My friend Antone and I met Shawn on our first trip to Taiwan. We were introduce to him through a mutual friend. Shawn was an amazing guy from the short time we got to spend with him. We'll always remember his hospitality during our trip.
— with
Shawn,
Antone Nguyen
and James Upshaw
0
Shawn was a great teammate and friend. I remember the first time we met at his dorm when he arrived on campus. His laugh and energy were awesome. We had tons of fun trips to meets, training in Florida, and great meals shared together. We will miss him. RIP.
1
我跟強哥是2013年認識的，當時他就帶我去美國學校的餐廳吃飯，後來我去了澳洲一直到2015回台灣，差不多每一年都會和強哥一起吃一頓飯，2020有在捷運站偶遇一次小小聊天。我沒想到2021的1月底是最後一次見面跟聊天。。前陣子有知道強哥確診後在休養，但完全沒意料到會突然離開我們大家，我以為還有機會跟強哥見面。其實今年過年2024我有發訊息問候他，他也說康復差不多了🥺也許是不想讓朋友擔心。謝謝強哥在每一次見面都讓我收穫很多，不論是生活還是做人，還是搞笑。我會永遠記得他，相信其他的朋友也是一樣。
0
Shawn always made me laugh! He was a talented and accomplished runner and a truly wonderful teammate! Great person! We miss him ( and his fabulous social media posts) already!
1
My mom and I met Shawn when I was visiting my family in Taiwan as a sophomore in college through the alumni network. Shawn responded quickly, and we set up a dinner in Taipei with my mom at a delicious spot with yummy 米粉. He was so friendly and fun, making silly faces together the first time we met. His mandarin and Taiwanese were amazing, and we joked that his Taiwanese was even better than my mom’s! Ever since then, my mom and I reach out to Shawn when we’re back in Taipei to catch up. We love seeing his Facebook posts about his runs and delicious meals. His positive, cheerful energy brought such joy to me and my mom. Our deepest condolences to Shawn and his family. We will miss you.
1
1983, Tunghai University, 台灣大道四段 Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan
Shawn with Tunghai Staff and 2 Peters
— with
Shawn,
Peter Greeley
and Peter Goodman and 2 Tunghai Teachers
3
This is really sad news. We send our condolences to Shawn’s immediate family and his Dartmouth family. RIP
Vin and Elizabeth
0
I am devastated to learn of Shawn’s passing. I have met few people in my life that I have admired as much and connected as easily with as Shawn. He is so singular a shining soul that even though we hadn’t seen each other in more than 30 years, we were able to pick up and chat with love and joyful in finding each other again. We became fast friends immediately after he left a welcoming message in Chinese on my door during my junior year at Dartmouth. We had a wonderful group of friends during that brief, but intense year of fun and friendship. Over time, we lost touch but I knew through mutual friends that he had moved to Taiwan. A couple of years ago, we reconnected and I cannot convey how much joy and friendship I felt once again. His love was still there. I had always planned to get together with him again in Taiwan and meet his beautiful family. I understand how profound his loss must be for his beloved family. What words of comfort other than: he was yours. How blessed you are to be his forever. Love never dies, especially his. His light is still in the world through you. Peace and love always.
0
15 years ago I attended Taipei American School and have known Mr. O’Neal then. As highschoolers, we were always surprised by his nearly perfectly spoken mandarin and his bright, upbeat smile. We always looked forward to his greeting in the snack bar while he carries out another fresh batches of cookies as he eagerly would tell us what new recipe he tried.
As high schoolers, we looked forward to all of the lunches and it was always a highlight of our days and memories of TAS.
My deepest condolences to Mr. O’Neal and his family. You are loved and missed.
0
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