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Thomas Shawn Tidwell, 42, died peacefully in his sleep on March 17, 2006, in Charlottesville, VA. Born in Albuquerque, NM, on November 15, 1963, to Enid MacDonald Tidwell and Thomas Russell Walker, Shawn lived all over the U.S. and in Kuwait as a child with his mother, stepfather, and brother. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in English Literature in 1997. In the long path to completing his degree, Shawn worked as a chef at the C & O Restaurant in Charlottesville and Duner's in Ivy and played guitar in local rock band, Fire Sermon, with band mates, Walter Lundwall, Tom Howard, Mike Johnson, and Mitch Russell. The band stayed together for approximately 10 years and played a reunion show in 2004 to an enthusiastic crowd at Tokyo Rose in Charlottesville, VA. In 1998, Shawn fulfilled his dream of being a business owner when he founded Category 4, a website design company with partners, Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell (whom he married in 2002), Matt Shadel, and Tim McDaniels. He was the company's creative director and designer. In 2004, Shawn underwent treatment for head and neck cancer. He was extremely grateful for the loving support of his wife, family, community of friends and colleagues. Shawn was passionate about music, painting, creating culinary delights for his friends, reading, and computer art and design, but most especially being a father. His baby daughter Harper June was the zenith of his life and he devoted the last year and a half to loving and nurturing her with every ounce of energy and creativity in his being. Shawn will be terribly missed by his family, friends, business colleagues, and all who witnessed his magnificent wide smile, tremendous intellect, gentle voice, and dry wit. In addition to his parents, Shawn is survived by his beloved wife, Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell; and daughter, Harper June Tidwell; his brother, Michael Eric Tidwell; step-siblings, Mary Anne Tidwell, John Tidwell, and David Tidwell; his brother-in-law, Darren Matthew Hoyt and his friend, Wistar Watts Murray; his mother-in-law, Mary Roughton Catron and her husband, David Catron; his father-in-law, Robert Eugene Hoyt and his wife, Ann Yoshihashi; his aunt, Eleanor Eve Thomason; Eve's children, Michael Lee Thomason and wife, Jacqueline Thomason, Patricia Eve Mohar and husband, Frank Mohar, and Cheryl Renee Thomason, their respective children and grandchildren; and numerous cousins, most of whom reside in the Farmington, NM area. He is also survived by cousins, Judith Beers MacDonald and C. David Beers and his wife, Diana Lynn Ohlson. Shawn is predeceased by his stepfather, Roy M. Tidwell; his grandparents, Tom and June Walker, Eugene and Eleanor MacDonald, and Lee Roy and Mabel Tidwell; his great-aunts, Josephine Harp and Sarah Davenport; his great-uncles, Charles MacDonald and Lewis Davenport; his uncle, Eddie Thomason; and his first cousins, Eddie Eugene Thomason and James Matthew Thomason. In lieu of flowers, donations in Shawn's memory can be made to the Oral Cancer Foundation at 3419 Via Lido # 205, Newport Beach, CA, 92663, online at www.oralcancerfoundation.com, or by phone (949) 646-8000. A memorial celebration is planned for Sunday, April 23, 2006 in Charlottesville, VA. Contact Jennifer for details by phone or jhtidwell@gmail.com
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