Ethel Lynn Shahan

August 16, 1941 – May 23, 2023

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Ethel Lynn Shahan passed away Tuesday, May 23, 2023 from natural causes in Provo, Utah.

Lynn was born on August 16, 1941 to Emory and Lorraine Shahan. She spent her early years in Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents and younger siblings lived on West Lincoln Street. She attended Murphy Elementary School and was quickly identified as a smart, vivacious girl. In first grade, missing two front teeth, she recited ‘The Night Before Christmas’ flawlessly in the Christmas program. It brought the house down. Lynn’s early years in Phoenix were filled with memories of bake sales (her mom’s fruitcake was always the hot ticket item), riding her horse “Victor”, and a small home filled with babies and love. After completing most of her elementary school years in Phoenix, Lynn and her family moved to Queen Creek, Arizona.

In her own words, Lynn lived an idyllic childhood. She lovingly called Queen Creek “Mayberry, Q.C.” “We would play cowboys and Indians down in the creek bed riding our horses with our cap guns popping loudly each time we took a harmless shot. But this make-believe play became so imaginarily real in this setting that it could put a lump in your throat or bees in your belly if you thought you were about to be captured or shot”.

She took her role as the oldest of seven siblings seriously. Lynn was fastidious in all that she did. As an example, she polished younger sister, Ann’s, and younger brother, Buzz’s, shoes so they wouldn’t make her look bad at elementary school. She made Ann and Buzz stand in line behind her waiting for the school bus so her shoe shine jobs wouldn’t get messed up. One day a bully started in on Buzz. Lynn body slammed the bully, sat on his chest and not only made him say ‘uncle,’ which meant that he gave up, but ‘double uncle,’ which meant that he really gave up. Lynn’s father, Emory, taught Lynn to shoot marbles. She was school marble champ, bringing home socks full of marbles that she had won. By the time she was in 8th grade, no boy would play her. She was a killer! She set the precedent of valedictorian at her small country school that most of her siblings would follow.

Lynn was a fully engaged teenager. Hip on all the dances, Elvis, the Everly Brothers, and Chuck Berry. She dated the coolest boys every weekend. No one had a quicker wit. Her sense of humor was unmatched, no doubt due to her quick wit. This made her very popular. She had a buckskin horse that she rode to rodeo queen status, queen of the Chandler Arizona Rodeo Days. She graduated third in a high school class of 165 students, and later cum laude at Arizona State University.

Lynn graduated from Arizona State University in 1963. A trip to the beach early in her college career sealed her fate as a Californian. She accepted a job at Morningside Elementary School in Garden Grove, California. Five years later, she moved on to junior high. By 1978, she was head counselor at Bolsa Grande High School. She was a staunch supporter of struggling students. She built bridges of understanding and helped all, be it student or staff, gain greater understanding. In 1982, Lynn left the counseling office and became a curriculum development specialist. Throughout the next decade, she would complete her Master’s degree at Pepperdine University and develop and implement an educational curriculum. She was beloved by all who worked with her. Lynn’s California years were some of her favorite. She enjoyed Dodgers games (often taking her Grandfather Fluharty along for the ride), walks along the dock, and outings with friends.

Upon finding herself a single, professional woman, she began wondering how many people around her also lived alone. Were they happy? Was she happy? Her curiosity about the single life, and finding happiness on one’s own, led her to write her first book “Living Alone and Liking It”– a national bestseller. Lynn was an early guest on Oprah, and sat for several nationally televised interviews. Her book paved the way for countless people to understand the importance of self reliance.

Lynn spent a fair part of her life struggling with depression. When forced into early retirement by her mental health challenges, Lynn again turned her heartache into a way of helping others. Working with her psychotherapist, Lynn wrote her second book, “Mindfall”. Lynn’s honest account of her struggle with depression shed light on a common but difficult challenge for so many.

Lynn’s retirement years were spent in sunny Mesa, Arizona. She enjoyed living by her mom and sisters. She was mom to her dog Bitsy. Together, they made quite the team. She cooked, read, and spent countless hours on her beloved cross stitching while simultaneously keeping track of both college football and basketball. Lynn’s cross stitch masterpieces can be found in the homes of her nieces and nephews. She was an artist with her needle.

Lynn’s final few years were spent in Provo, Utah. She gained many friends at Jamestown Assisted Living. She enjoyed being read to by her great niece Annabelle, and looked forward to the occasional “cold Coke” delivered by her niece Rebecca.

Lynn lived a life of family, good food, and good friends. She strived to live the values taught by her parents– hard work, honesty, and recognizing the importance of the occasional good taco.

Lynn is survived by her siblings- Buzz (Susan), Ellen, Doyle (Pattie), John (Mora), and Jamie (Robert). She is preceded in death by her father Emory Lee Shahan, mother Lorraine Fluharty Shahan, and sister Ann Shahan.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, June 12, 2023 at 10:30am. Mountain View Cemetery, 7900 E. Main Street, Mesa, Arizona.