Heidi Brown Shear

Heidi moved to Oklahoma City from Rochester, Minnesota in 1961 when she was three years old. In Oklahoma City, she attended the Little Red Playhouse as a toddler and Casady for kindergarten through 12th grade. During her time at Casady, she excelled as a student and took a particular liking to history and English. While generally not the biggest fan of intramural sports, she played tennis and was excited to get her first (maybe only?) tan at a tennis camp in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Heidi could be found dancing with Susie and their friends at the Free Spirit lounge or going to see live bands—like the Who and the Police—perform.

Heidi attended Tufts University, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, where she majored in Political Science. She studied abroad during the spring semester of junior year at the London School of Economics, where she met her best college friends. The summer after her junior year, Heidi attended bartending class at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a certificate in Mixology. After Tufts, Heidi attended law school at Boston University, where she also earned a master’s in tax law.

Heidi worked at Maselan & Jones in Boston after law school, where she focused on tax and ERISA. Heidi excelled as a lawyer and was an unparalleled problem solver. She enjoyed digging into the most challenging issues and solving complex legal problems. Heidi was a true counselor and was the person who everyone went to when they didn’t know what to do.

In May of 1988, Heidi was set up on a blind date with David. They got engaged just a few months later. Heidi and David married in Oklahoma City on May 28, 1989. They moved to Oklahoma City to begin new careers as lawyers at LSB Industries. They worked together, one office apart, for the next 26 years. Heidi and David’s bond was beyond words, the closest might be “true soul mates,” really like one organism.

Sierra was born in 1991 and Cooper was born a year and a half later. Heidi loved being a mom and was exceptional at it. She was caring, compassionate, snuggly, sweet, generous, supportive, accepting, kind, loving, and a perfect role model. She packed unbelievable school lunches for Sierra and Cooper. Sierra was proud to dig into poached salmon and couscous. Cooper’s third grade teacher asked why he brought a Perrier to lunch. To Heidi there was nothing unusual about that. She was a chef who perfected corn flake chicken, salmon and broccoli, and made the best pancakes to ever exist. An avid reader, you rarely saw her without a book (and then later her kindle) in arm’s reach.

She raised her kids to love reading and had so much fun reading the Harry Potter books at bedtime and eventually going as a family to get the new Harry Potter books at midnight release time. After reading, she loved to tuck Sierra and Cooper in at night and count all the layers on top of them when it was cold out. She trained her kids, probably unintentionally, to be state champion debaters—Sierra and Cooper combined held the Oklahoma state debate championship for 5 years. No hobby was too much, which led Sierra to embrace the peace of horse riding. Heidi would bring her book and watch Sierra ride and care for her horse.

Sierra and Cooper both attended the University of Texas at Austin. Sierra attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania and then started her first law job at the firm of WilmerHale in Boston. Heidi particularly enjoyed Sierra living in Boston because Sierra would take the train to Swampscott often to have dinner and do laundry. While she wasn’t thrilled that Cooper joined the Marine Corps after college, she was proud of Cooper and his service as an intelligence officer. After serving in the Marine Corps, Cooper attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin and then started his first law job at Latham & Watkins in Austin. Both her kids ended up as lawyers, not because of any pressure or expectation, but because they looked at their parents throughout their lives and saw people they wanted to be.

As empty nesters, Heidi and David retired and moved to Swampscott, Massachusetts, David’s birthplace. Heidi grew roots and made Swampscott home. She became deeply involved in her community. She was the cherished president of the Reach Arts community art center, was elected as a member of the town meeting, and served on boards for the Jewish Journal, the Women’s Research Center at Brandeis University, and the Metrowest Women’s Fund. She started an art gallery in Boston for David’s abstract paintings. She volunteered as a baby cuddler at Beverly Hospital.

Heidi and David started to spend more and more of their time at their home in North Sandwich, New Hampshire, growing massive vegetables and enjoying the peace, calm, and brilliant night skies the area provides.

In 2023, Sierra had Noa, Heidi’s granddaughter. Heidi read Noa her first book, at the age of one day old, and spent weeks in Atlanta cuddling, playing with, and spending time with Noa and Sierra. She felt absolute joy with Noa. She was the best-ever grandma and loved Noa so much.

Heidi was the beloved wife of David, mother of Sierra and Cooper, sister of Susan Brown and the late Pamela Brown, mother-in-law to Daniel Gromer, grandmother to Noa Shear-Gromer, and daughter of the late Robert and Zelda Brown. Heidi was able to guide through questions and advise through listening, she maintained calmness, strength, direction, and purpose. All that with love and a touch of silly. A perfect mother and grandmother. Adored wife. Sister without peer. She was a fantastic lawyer, mentor, and even better friend. Heidi is and will be very missed.

A service for Heidi will be held Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 10:00 am EST at Stanetsky-Hymanson Memorial Chapel, 10 Vinnin Street, Salem, MA 01970. A livestream of the service will be available and the link will be available at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/salem-ma/heidi-shear-12150864.

Shiva will be held at Heidi and David’s home in Swampscott following the service.

Contributions in Heidi’s memory may be made to Metrowest Women's Fund (https://www.metrowestwomensfund.com/donate) or the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University (https://www.brandeis.edu/wsrc/make-a-gift.html).