Shannon Rowan Obituary

Rowan
Shannon Marie (Hawley) Rowan
April 5, 1958 - September 20, 2017
Shannon Marie Rowan (nee Hawley) crossed over into the light on September 20, 2017, with her husband Tim at her side, following a brief battle with cancer. They had celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in July. Her siblings and children arrived in time to comfort her and each other during her final days. She had been a Colorado Springs resident since 1981.
Shannon was born on April 5, 1958 to Paul and Gladys Hawley, late of Dubois, Wyoming. She is survived by her husband Tim Rowan, three children from her first marriage, Noemie Piard (Dan Federico), Bryan Piard, Marc Piard (Cohinta), and Noemie's sons Isaiah and Julien Flores; also by her siblings, Cathy Mundy (Loran [Skip]), Mary Kelsoe (Cullen), Fred Hawley (Margaret), Paul Hawley (Debbie), and Laurie Stelljes (David). She was preceded in death by her parents, her eldest sister Polly (William), and Fred's son, Jake. She was dearly loved and will be deeply missed by her husband's children and grandchildren, Karen, Kristin, Heather, and Jeremy Rowan (Heidi); Kassidy Rowan Leonard, and Devyn and Dylan Rowan.
During her 25-year career as a District 11 teacher at Wilson Elementary, Shannon worked wonders with hundreds of second and third graders. She was highly respected by her fellow teachers for her unique ability to raise performance scores and other measurements of her students by more than two grade levels during the course of a single school year. She learned Spanish while teaching to improve her effectiveness with Wilson's many ESL students. Her lifelong love of children was revealed before and after her teaching career as well. She worked as an au pair for a family in Lyon, France right after high school, where she became fluent in French. After retiring, she served as a nanny for a local family, where Max and Eva called her their third grandma.
Shannon had been a volunteer with the Marian House Soup Kitchen since 1995, where she met Tim. She was a member of the Front Porch Giving Circle and had a leadership role with the Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area, receiving the "Zontian of the Year" award twice. Without fanfare, in cooperation with Zonta and El Paso County, she also singlehandedly conceived and founded "Launching Families," a program that trains volunteers to mentor young adults who age out of the foster care system. (http://zontapikespeak.org/launching) That program will survive her and be a part of her legacy every bit as much as her brilliant teaching career. Her final Zonta fundraiser idea is a Trivia Night event that other members will carry on for her on October 20.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Shannon's memory go to www.ZontaPikesPeak.org. A celebration of her life will take place at 11:30am, Saturday, September 23, at The International Club, 2422 Busch Ave., Colorado Springs. All are welcome.