Shawn Patrick Malone

Shawn Patrick Malone, 60, of Powder Springs, Georgia passed away on Monday, October 16, 2017 from organ failure after a prolonged illness. The viewing will be held from 12PM to 2PM immediately followed by a memorial service at 2PM on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the West Cobb Funeral Home and Crematory in Marietta, GA.

Shawn was born on November 21, 1956 in Denver, Colorado to Loren Coy Malone and Priscilla Joy Campbell, the oldest of five children (siblings: Sheldon, Kevin, Kelly, and Molly). As an Air Force brat, he spent his childhood living in such diverse places as Japan, Texas, Virginia, and Arkansas before graduating from Rocky Mountain High (class of 1974) in Fort Collins, Colorado.

He joined the US Navy in August 1974 and served as an Electronics Technician First Class on several vessels including the USS Hunley (AS-31), USS James Madison (SSBN-627), USS Holland (AS-32), and USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657). He circumnavigated the globe as part of the crew of the USS Holland and developed a fondness for watching the nuclear reactors on submarines. His love for the Navy and submarines even propelled him to name one of his daughters after LORAN, the long range navigation radio system used by the military.

During this time, Shawn met and married his beloved wife, Toni Colleen Case on April 5, 1978 in the Washington, DC LDS temple. Together, they welcomed five children: Fiona (38), David (36), Sasha (32), Lorann (30), and Kristy (27). He never called his children by their given name but gave each their own unique nickname. Each grandchild was bestowed with their own special name, a rite of passage for each of his 17 grandchildren.

After 12 years of service, he left the Navy in 1986 in order to spend more time with his wife and children. After a brief sojourn in Utah, they relocated to Marietta, Georgia in 1988 where Shawn leveraged his Navy education and experience into a position in the Electronic System Laboratory at Georgia Tech Research Institute and advanced to an electrical engineer.

Shawn was a master at understanding complex electronic issues and was one of the few engineers who could assemble circuit boards by hand. His skills and wide experience allowed him to be a valuable GTRI employee for 29 years. In his last few years, Shawn taught basic soldering classes to high school and college students in an outreach program which brought him a great amount of pleasure.

He had a macabre sense of humor and loved subjecting his children to bad B-movies and horror films. He particularly loved Airplane, Monty Python, and Mel Brooks movies. Shawn and his late brother Sheldon (1959-2004) were particularly close, a pair of pranksters who often tormented their fellow siblings. Sheldon’s passing effected Shawn tremendously and we imagine them having a happy reunion now.

Shawn is survived by his devoted wife of 39 years, Toni; his five children and their spouses; 17.5 grandchildren; siblings Kevin, Kelly, and Molly; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Surviving children and grandchildren include:
• Fiona (Jeremy) Bowden – JJ (15), Kai (13), Cody (9), Ashleigh (8), Reilly (3)
• David (Liz) Malone – Zara (7), Adelaide (4), Benjamin (2)
• Sasha (Tristan) Blair – Makayla (12), Nolan (11), Jackson (7), McKenzi (5), Karli (4), Spencer (2)
• Lorann (Matt) Asay – Ryan (6), Ethan (2), Grandchild #18 (due March 2018)
• Kristy (Rusty) Moore – Levi (1)