Jewell Brooner Shannon, 85

Jewell Brooner Shannon, 85, daughter of the late Ernest D. and Mabel Brooner, died on Sunday, June 5, 2005, in Mankato, Minn., after a 16-year encounter with Parkinson's.

She was born on Oct. 6, 1919, in Kalispell. During her growing-up years here, she was known for her many friends, church activities, writing skills, and academic achievements. She skipped four grades, graduating from Flathead County High School in 1934, with high honors, at the age of 14. She attended Canton College in Northfield, Minn., graduating in 1941, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Jewell returned to Kalispell and for two years (1941-1943) supervised the curriculum and taught music in Kalispell public schools.

In 1942, Jewell married Edward F. Shannon, a marriage that lasted over 54 years until his death in 1997. As wife of a Minnesota Methodist pastor, and a mother of six, Jewell's life was one of serving others, teaching, and music. For many years she was choir director, and for over 30 years taught private piano lessons, organizing recitals, and yearly regional piano competitions. She was a public school volunteer teacher for gifted children. She established a school and staffed it with volunteers who would teach English to Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees. She was very active in further refugee resettlement work.

Jewell is survived by a brother, Ernest G. and Carlene Brooner in Lakeside; a sister, Jean Tyler, in Salt Lake City; her six gifted children and their families, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.