Shannon Lind McNamara

While surrounded by and being showered with love by her family and her Lord, Shannon Lind McNamara, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend to many passed away December 29, 2024, after a short but valiant battle with cancer. After being diagnosed with stage four cancer, it was less than three months before our loving God called Shannon home. God must have needed a special angel in heaven. Shannon will be greatly missed by all who loved and knew her.

From her early childhood and throughout her life, Shannon was known for her generosity, loyalty, intellect, kind demeanor and her beautiful smile.

Shannon was born on October 17,1969, in Austin, Texas. Being the first granddaughter, Shannon was adored by all four of her grandparents. She was devoted to her grandparents, parents, brother, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Throughout her youth, her teenage years and while she was a young woman, Shannon’s mother and father loved her, cherished her, nurtured her, supported her, and taught her family values. Paramount, she learned about God’s love, and that His son died for her so she could receive eternal life.

During their childhood and for the rest of her life, Shannon had a special relationship with and an unconditional love for her brother, Jeff, and he had unconditional love for her as well. Jeff and his wife, Ashleigh, were blessed with three sons; Shannon loved the three “Lind Boys” as if they were her own. Shannon’s nephews always held a very special place in Shannon’s heart. During the last few weeks of her life, Shannon requested Jeff support James and Logan after she was gone.

At a very young age and throughout her school career, Shannon was active in volleyball, softball, soccer and flag football. She was quarterback of her intramural university flag football team. She was trained in several dance disciplines, gymnastics, and developed her love of twirling.

Shannon was a proud graduate of Hill Country Middle school where she was a cheerleader. While attending middle school and high school Shannon made close friends who have remained a treasured part of her life until her passing. Shannon was a proud 1987 Westlake High School graduate where she was the featured twirler and participated in numerous school and social organizations. If we had asked Shannon what she valued most from her high school experience, she would have most certainly said, “The time that I spent with my close friends.”

In September of 1987, Shannon entered Southwest Texas State University. During September of 1988 she pledged the Theta Psi chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Shannon loved her university experience and was active in many university and sorority events and activities. Shannon was an avid supporter of the University’s football program and in 1989 her sorority awarded her the coveted “Bob Kitten” award for her “over the top” support of “spirit” initiatives for the football program on the sorority’s behalf. If we had asked Shannon what she valued most

from her years at Southwest Texas university, she would have undoubtedly said, “The new close friends that I made with my Zeta sorority sisters.”

In 1990 Shannon was nominated by the student body of the University and honored as a Homecoming Gaillardian. Shannon proudly accepted that honor at half time on the fifty-yard line of the homecoming game. She was in the Golden Key Honor Society, Order of Omega, 1991 SW Texas Greek Woman of the Year and was on the Dean’s List. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Southwest Texas State University in December of 1991.

After graduating from in December of 1991 with her undergraduate degree, Shannon entered graduate school at the University of Texas at Arlington where she earned a Master of Science degree in May of 1994.

After receiving her Master’s degree, Shannon accepted a position at Ernst and Young and earned her CPA certification. While working at Ernst and Young, Shannon made many new friends. She was active in professional organizations, supported her church, and made missionary trips to Uganda and Peru.

On June 20, 2009, Shannon married James McNamara, the love of her life. Shannon and James loved to travel together, drink margaritas on sunny weekend days, watch football together, and most of all spend time together as a family. Shannon and James’ fifteen years of marriage were filled with laughter and joy.

On September 29, 2010, God blessed Shannon and James with the birth of their son, Logan. Shannon took five months of maternity leave after the birth of Logan; she would later characterize those five months as the single most precious and meaningful time of her life. Shannon dearly loved her two stepdaughters, Valerie and Elizabeth, and cherished the time that she was blessed to spend with them. While continuing to excel as a partner at Ernst and Young, Shannon tirelessly devoted her life to her family.

After spending the early part of her life focusing on her education and career, Shannon transitioned her time to being a devoted wife and mother. Her family and friends admired her tireless support of Logan and of his school, sports, and extracurricular activities. If we had asked Shannon what her number one goal in life was, she would have said, “I want to be a good mother.”

Shannon will be remembered for her beautiful smile, for her endless love, selflessness, generous nature, and her fierce loyalty to her family and her friends. She will also be remembered for her love of travel to new places around the world, for the elaborate birthday parties she organized for Logan, for her fabulous Christmas cards, for the school parties that she organized and participated in for Logan’s school classmates, for planning family celebrations, and for being the person that will always step up when someone is in need.

Even though Shannon was extremely sad that she was not going to live out her dream of spending many more years with Logan, James, Valerie and Elizabeth, her extended family, and friends, Shannon’s faith in our loving God and her Savior Jesus Christ never faltered and she asked her close family members to retain their faith as well.

Her final wish to us was: “May joy always find you.”

Shannon is survived by her husband James McNamara, her son Logan McNamara, her stepdaughters Valerie McNamara and Elizabeth McNamara, her parents Cindy Mann Lind and Clifton Lind, her brother and her sister-in-law Jeff Lind and Ashleigh Lind, and her nephews Jefferson Lind, Jackson Lind, and Browning Lind.

The McNamara family and the Lind family wish to thank everyone who supported, loved and prayed for Shannon during this difficult time.

Cindy Lind, Ashleigh Lind, Jeff Lind, Clifton Lind and “the Lind Boys” want to thank James for the loving and selfless care that he gave Shannon during her battle with this devastating disease.

Shannon will be laid to rest in a private family service at Bluebonnet Hills cemetery in Colleyville, Texas. The family has organized a public memorial to be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 15th, 2025, at Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a tax-deductible donation to benefit the Shannon Lind McNamara Memorial Scholarship Fund, C/O and administered by the Lind Family Charitable Foundation (a Sec. 501(c)(3) charity).

A link to a secure online giving platform for donations will be forthcoming.

Checks can be sent to:

Lind Family Charitable Foundation

FBO the Shannon Lind McNamara Memorial Scholarship Fund

P.O. Box 162384

Austin, Texas 78746