In Memory of J. Shawn Gibbons
P.Eng; M.Sc
February 3, 1956 – August 3, 2021)
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Shawn Gibbons at the age of 65. Beloved husband of Lynn Gibbons (nee Barber). Loving father to Jessica (Scott Kane), Kelsey (Kyle Campbell) and Jordan (Ellen Schamer). Cherished grandfather to Logan, Ethan, Jonathan, Owen and Willow.
Son of Mary Gibbons (nee Mahoney) and the late Harold Gibbons, of Rockland. Brother to Alan (Susan McFaul), Sharon Ann (James Horton), Mary Jo (Tony Sponza) and Maureen (Brian Harrigan). He will be fondly remembered by a large extended family; many friends and neighbours.
Shawn was well known throughout his lengthy career in the field of Engineering, having spent over 40 years managing large scale engineering projects in the areas of water management and infrastructure. Over the years, Shawn took on many different roles within his profession and will be remembered by many for his expertise and mentorship.
He had a keen interest in aviation and he was a licensed pilot for many years. He loved spending time in his backyard and dedicated countless hours to working on his beloved koi pond. He will be fondly remembered for having perfected his ‘world famous’ BBQ beef ribs, his love of fine wine and his yellow corvette.
Above all, his biggest pride and greatest joy was his family.
A private celebration of life will be held at the Heritage Funeral Complex, in Orléans. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to a charity of your choice in Shawn’s honour. Special thanks to the ICU nurses at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus for their care and compassion.
Online condolences may be shared at: www.heritagefh.ca
My condolences to Lynn and all members of the Gibbons family. I met & got to know Shawn in my 1st year at Ottawa U. He was a presence even back then!
My thoughts are with you.
Denis Chartrand
To my dear friend Lynn and your family!
Wishing you peace to bring comfort, the courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts. Today and always, may fond memories bring you peace, support, and strength. With my love and deepest sympathy as I remember Shawn, and the wonderful times spent together…
Lyse 💕💕💕
Dear Lynn and family
My deepest sympathies to you at this time of the tragic loss of Shawn husband, father and grandfather. I have wonderful memories of the fun times we had together at parties, dinners and skiing. Warmest thoughts are with you.
My sincere condolences to Shawn’s family with his passing. I knew him through volunteer committee work for Professional Engineers Ontario over the past 6 years. He was dedicated, reliable, constructive and a pleasure to know. Shawn had a positive outlook and his friendly personality put you at ease with him. He could be counted on. We will miss him as a colleague and friend.
Steve van der Woerd
Dear Lynn and family,
Our heartfelt condolences to you and yours for the sudden passing of your beloved husband/father. As a neighbour, we will miss his beautiful smile and wave as he drove by in his yellow corvette and his motorcycle!
It is with heavy hearts that Tara and I pass on our deepest sympathies to you, Lynn, and your family. I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Shawn. We shared three years in Ottawa University Engineering where I came to know Shawn as a goal oriented young man who made everything into a project, including group study sessions for challenging exams. He ventured into politics as President of the Engineering Society where he was an ambassador for engineering and also led us in escapades that involved Canadian unity, TGIF events and the legendary 1977 Panda Game. Our lives did not intersect following school but I will continue to have fond memories of our times together.
Dear Lynn and family.
I am deeply saddened by your loss, share your grief and offer my deepest sympathies.. I haven’t connected with Shawn for some decades, although I have followed his career path periodically. His passing brought back crystal clear memories of the time we spent together in engineering at the University of Ottawa. He was a joy to be around, always, always seemed to have something on the go, and was extraordinarily innovative in his ideas and getting people to put those ideas (which were always out of the box thinking) into practice. Climbing powerhouse stacks, placing canoes on a roof, coercing piglets onto a highly unusual pasture setting, and painting interesting designs on a boathouse come to mind. The comments I read about his deep love for his family come as no surprise; he loved sharing his family adventures in Rockland with us. He will be missed by those whose path he crossed..
My sincere condolences to the Shawn’s family and friends. I had the pleasure of working with Shawn during his tenure on the ACEC-Canada Board of Directors. He was a valued member of the consulting engineering industry and will be missed by his peers and colleagues.
Our sincerest and most heartfelt condolences to Shawn’s family. Shawn was truly my mentor for many years back in the 80’s at Gore & Storrie, and along with a few others, we shared many a joke and a laugh and several memorable evenings out with our families. He will be well remembered by the entire engineering community, including those that became his friends along the way. We wish Lynn and the kids all the best in these difficult times. John and Carole.
I did not know Shawn for long but he agreed to join my team at Colliers to share his expertise and knowledge with the junior team members and to help us grow our business. He was always a pleasure to speak with, up beat and positive. I’m saddened to only know him for a short time but appreciate all he did. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
I’m so sorry to hear this news. I worked with Shawn at CH2M Gore & Storrie in the 90’s / 00’s. I remember him holding court in the boardroom while we talked about “silver bullets” to win key projects. He was always thinking strategically. We recently reconnected through the OPWA and I was looking forward to his wry smile and charm over a post-COVID beer. My thoughts are with Lynn and the family.
We have been so saddened and shocked by the sudden death of our cousin Shawn. We are thinking of all of you at this difficult time. There are so many good memories of Shawn – I’m sure these will help to sustain you in the days and weeks ahead.
Shawn took such joy and pride in his family. He also found joy in his connection to the land whether it was growing corn for his grandchildren or driving the tractor on the family farm.
He will be so missed. Our thoughts, prayers and love will be with you all.
Mike, Joc and Barb
Truly saddened to hear of Shawn’s passing. I knew Shawn back in the early 90’s working at Gore & Storrie Ltd. for over a decade, and I will always remember him as the Energizer Bunny in the office. He was always upbeat and full of interesting ideas/solutions to any situation he was dealt with. He was a kind, generous and good leader. My deepest condolences to Lynn and his entire family. My thoughts are with you at this sad time.
Mary Jo, Tony and family,
My deepest condolences on your loss. Please know you are in my thoughts at this sad time.
It was such a shock to learn of Shawn’s passing. I’ve known him through the CEDC in the PEO. He was such a vibrant presence, and always was a ray of sunshine in our meetings. I will miss him. My sincerest condolences to Lynn and the rest of the family.
I was fortunate to work with and learn from Shawn for a number for years. He was passionate, knowledgeable, and most importantly – worked with his clients – as partners and friends. He taught me a lot about program management and client relations, and I wish I had the chance to properly thank him for that. Thank you Shawn.
My deepest sympathies to his family and friends. He loved his family deeply and spoke fondly of his wife, kids, backyard and his family farm.
Sincerely,
Graham L
I was so sad to hear about Shawn’s passing. Seeing his picture has brought back many memories. I was part of Shawn’s Business Development Team at Gore & Storrie/CH2MHill in the 1990s/2000s. I learned a lot from Shawn and he was a key person in helping me develop in my career. He knew the business, was strategic, knowledgeable and most important was passionate about everything he did. I am so very sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Dear Lynn and all the Gibbons family,
We were shocked to hear of Shawn’s sudden passing. He was such a hard working man who loved his family deeply. I hope and pray that time your good memories will help bring you peace and comfort in the difficult days ahead. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.
Love cousin Sue LeBlanc and the Brock Family
Dear Lynn & family,
Our deepest condolences on your tremendous loss. Thanks for sharing all your Gibbons family Mont-Tremblant March break adventures with our son, Eric. Shawn will be missed. Our thoughts & prayers are with you all.
Shawn was more than a neighbour, he was family… a part of the village that raised me. I will remember him fondly for his humour, kindness and generosity, his love and dedication to family and friends, and also his flame-thrower BBQ lighting. I will miss him dearly. My sincere condolences to Mrs. Gibbons, Lynn, Jess, Kelsey and Jordan, as well as the rest of the family for this tremendous loss.
My deepest condolences to Lynn and your family. I was in the same class with Shawn through engineering at Ottawa University. He was definitely a leader in engineering and helped me through difficult courses during his impromptu study sessions prior to our exams. In later years, it was always great to catch up with him at our reunions. I will always remember him as a very positive fellow with a great sense of humour and was great fun to be with at our class social activities.
Rest in Peace my friend
Blaine Ardelian
My deepest sympathies Mrs. Gibbons, Alan, Sharon-Ann, Maureen, and Mary-Jo, and family. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers at this sad time. I wish you much strength.
My sincere sympathies to the Gibbons family. I taught Shawn history at Plantagenet High School in the early 70’s. I have great memories of him as a student and I am saddened by his leaving this life as such a young age..
I was very sorry to read about the passing of Shawn. I had the pleasure of working on a number of projects that Shawn was involved with and he was the complete professional.
Please accept my sympathies for your loss
Dear Lynn and Family
Barb and I extend our deepest condolences to your entire family on your recent loss. I attended University with Shawn in Ottawa and have many fond memories of out times together. Shawn was a person who had no problems buckling down to the rigors of intensive study yet always having the time to enjoy the other social aspects of university life. I dealt sometimes with Shawn in our professional lives and he certainly was well respected in his field of Engineering .
Our thoughts are with you.
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Shawn’s passing! I always enjoyed interacting with him and eventually working with him. He was always knowledgeable and professional, and over many years I appreciated his outlook and great sense of humour! My deep condolences to you, Lynn and your family.
My sincere condolences to Gibbons family on passing away of Sean. I knew Sean through Professional Engineer’s Committee for over eight years. He was bright, knowledgeable, team player, supporter of Profession and a joy to work with. He will be missed.
Eric nejat
I had the pleasure of working with Shawn Gibbons at the Consulting Engineers Designation Committee of the Professional Engineers Ontario. Shawn was a great mentor, very knowledgeable individual, a thorough gentleman and a dear colleague. This morning, I learnt about his sudden passing. My heartfelt condolences to the Gibbons family. I pray to the Almighty to rest his soul in eternal peace and to grant the family enough courage to bear this untimely loss. I will greatly miss Shawn.
I had the pleasure of associating with Shawn, for many years, as a member of the Consulting Engineer’s Designation Committee at Professional Engineers Ontario. Shawn followed me as Chair of the committee.
I always had the utmost respect for Shawn; the dialogue and prospectives he brought to our committee discussions were always in the association’s best interests. He was a true “professional engineer.” I and the profession will miss him dearly.
My condolences to Lynn and family.
Doug