Shannon Elizabeth Elliott

It is with exceptional sadness that we announce the death of Shannon Elizabeth Elliott, of North Vancouver, BC, following a 27 -month battle with brain cancer. A fighter to the end, Shannon greatly exceeded the average survival time of 13 – 18 months, though sadly her quality of life was far from ideal following her diagnosis and treatment.

Shannon is survived by her husband Neil Melliship and daughters Celeste and Lauren, her brother Brent (Jackie and Sydney) and numerous relatives on both the Elliott/Nickel and Melliship sides. She is predeceased by her parents, Grace (Nickel) (1999) and Gordon Elliott (2008) and her favourite fur babies, Coco Bella and Travis.

Born September 8, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Shannon developed an early passion for travel, adventure and nursing, all of which were fundamental to her life.

Graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1984, she commenced her career in the Pediatric Ward at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. Following extended solo travel to Europe and the South Pacific, she moved to Vancouver and initially worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Like many others who move to Vancouver from the prairies, she pursued various West Coast outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking and sailing. It was through the Viking Sailing Club at Jericho Beach that she met her future husband and partner in travel, Neil, in 1987. Their mutual travel obsession resulted in an extended trip/sabbatical to Southeast Asia over the first half of 1989. After their return to Vancouver, Shannon and Neil tied the knot in August 1990.

Shannon’s superb organizational skills led her into a management role as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Burnaby Hospital in 1989. This experience also led to her to pursue a Masters Degree in Nursing, graduating from the University of Portland in 1993.

In 1994 Shannon and Neil welcomed Celeste into the world, followed by Lauren in 1997. Shannon embraced Motherhood fully and her lovely daughters quickly became the primary focus of her life.

With the growth of her family, Shannon shifted to part-time nursing in the Community Health practice, which became the focus of the rest of her nursing career, first with the Burnaby Health Department and later with the North Shore Health Department, Early Years Team, from which she retired in 2022.

Shannon also became a full time Instructor with the BCIT School of Nursing from 2010 to 2020, teaching and mentoring in the Community Health practice. While at BCIT, Shannon was part of a team that completely rewrote the Nursing Curriculum, which was a massive undertaking. She also facilitated a new course on Indigenous awareness in the nursing context.

Aside from her family and profession, Shannon lived to travel and she did so extensively, including visits to India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kenya, Morocco, New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and numerous destinations throughout Europe, the UK and the US.

She was also a voracious reader and active member of several book clubs – she typically read in excess of 40 books a year, with a high-water mark one year of 59.

Always looking for new experiences, Shannon, in her mid-50s, re-discovered her love of being out on the water. She started Dragon Boating with a team called The Perfect Catch and then Outrigger Canoeing with the False Creek Racing Canoe Club. Most recently she was a member of the Seventh Wave Dragon Boat team, where she revelled in the competitiveness, inclusiveness and camaraderie of her new teammates.

Throughout her well lived life, Shannon touched the lives of numerous others in many positive ways, as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, nurse, educator, mentor, friend, athlete, teammate and volunteer.

Special thanks to the dedicated healthcare teams at BC Cancer – Doctors Harrison, Gomez and Oh – Vancouver Coastal Health Palliative Homecare Services and the North Shore Hospice, for their expertise, caring and compassion throughout the different stages of Shannon’s cancer journey.

A Celebration of Shannon’s Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday March 28, 2025 at Boal Chapel, 1505 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver.

You can view the ceremony live or on replay at https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/104569 or go directly to the link below.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the following organizations would be appreciated: BC Cancer Foundation, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, Covenant House and the SPCA.