After five decades of dancing to Bruce Springsteen, Shawna Alyson Lidsky danced into the light on Friday, August 28, 2026, with the Boss belting out her favorite tracks, “Ghosts” and “Thunder Road.”
Shawna died peacefully in her happy place — her home in Shelburne — surrounded by family and her Vermont “sisters,” just days before her 51st birthday. And, in typical Shawna fashion, she made sure her fridge was filled with cake for her loved ones to celebrate what she called, just before she passed, “a great life.”
Shawna was born in New Jersey on September 4, 1975, to Sharon Silver and Arnold Lidsky. They named her Shawna because she was born on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. It’s a holiday marked by eating sweets, so it’s perhaps no coincidence that in 2008 Shawna satisfied her own sweet tooth by building a brownie business from scratch.
The Vermont Brownie Company was one of Shawna’s proudest professional achievements, and many hours were spent in her kitchen during her final weeks testing out new, yummy flavors. A highlight for Shawna was when she defeated celebrity chef Bobby Flay in 2010 on an episode of his Food Network show. That victory triggered a wave of coast-to-coast orders for her gourmet brownies. And for Shawna, brownies were also a love language. She loved sharing them at special events, including bar/bat mitzvahs, where she transported hundreds on long drives to celebrate with close friends and her Canadian cousins. Whether she was spoiling someone with brownies, flannels, pajamas, laughter or simply her presence, Shawna took loving her people seriously.
Even from a young age, at Marlboro High School and later as a basketball star at Salisbury University, when Shawna walked into a room, it was impossible not to notice her feisty, outgoing disposition and fun-loving personality. And network execs wanted that winning combination on the air, which is how Shawna got offered a job as a sports reporter and anchor for WCAX-TV (Channel 3) in Burlington. Her older sister, Kara, helped her pack up the car and move her into her first home there, which marked the beginning of a chapter that would shape the rest of Shawna’s life. Whip-smart and witty — everyone wanted to be in Shawna’s world! As a morning show host, viewers were thrilled to wake up to her cheery voice.
Vermont was Shawna’s playground, and she loved nothing more than being outdoors — hiking the state’s highest peaks with her friends in the summer and skiing down those mountains in the winter. Always up for a new adventure, Shawna developed a love for mountain biking in recent years, saying that being able to ride with her boys, Teddy and Hugh, was “her greatest joy.”
Without a doubt, the absolute best decision Shawna ever made was agreeing to a blind date with Doug Hamilton in the early 2000s. Doug was instantly smitten by the woman he called the “life of the party.” It was a classic case of opposites attracting: Doug’s quiet, gentle reserve was the perfect match for Shawna’s effervescent, high-energy spirit. The real turning point came when Doug cracked the code to her heart — good food. A strategically planned second date at a Japanese restaurant officially sealed the deal.
After dating for some time, Doug said Shawna jokingly recalled telling herself on a hike along the Rocky Peak Ridge in the Adirondacks that if he didn’t propose, this would be the last hike. Well, fortunately, Doug was ready with a ring! And so began their magical love story. Doug was Shawna’s knight, her hero and her rock. And her boys, Teddy and Hugh, were her best buddies. Shawna was so proud of them and loved nothing more than being their mom, whether she was cheering Teddy on at his cross-country meets, taking Hugh to his polo lessons or just reading with them. Their family was finally complete in 2020 when Shawna got her fur daughter, River, who never left her side.
When Shawna was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021, she refused to let the disease stop her from planning adventures, making memories and living every day to its fullest. Shawna loved to travel, and between treatments in Boston, she squeezed in trips to Ireland, Austria, Croatia, Toronto and Wyoming, as well as Springsteen concerts in Montréal, Ottawa and New Jersey. She loved her traditions, from Thanksgiving with Doug’s family to Passover with her dad, Arnold; stepmother, Margo; and cousins. And one of Shawna’s greatest life moments was dancing the night away at her epic 50th birthday party, dressed in her prom dress — which, she boasted, “still fit!”
Shawna did not move tentatively through the world. She went full force. Her appetite for life extended equally to the grand adventure and the wonderfully ordinary. Shawna could be just as happy traveling somewhere new as she was sitting on the porch with friends or searching TJ Maxx and HomeGoods for a “find.”
Shawna said battling cancer was a roller-coaster ride, but she never complained. When asked, she would steer the conversation to ask how you were doing. If you offered help, she would say she just wanted to be treated like everyone else.
Shawna’s mantra? Make every moment count. And don’t waste time doomscrolling, gossiping or feeling sorry for oneself. Even before getting cancer, Shawna had no time for pettiness or drama. She loved a good debate but would listen respectfully to those who shared different opinions. Shawna hated conflict but was fiercely protective of those she loved. She stood up for people, especially the underdog. She knew what she believed. She knew what she wanted. And she loved with her whole heart!
And she had many close friends. I was Shawna’s best friend. You were Shawna’s best friend. And you, and you … because Shawna made every single one of her girlfriends feel like her bestie! When she looked at you, she really looked at you. When she hugged you, she REALLY hugged you. Shawna had a knack for making everyone feel like they were the most special person to her, because they were!
In her CaringBridge posts, and in private moments, Shawna made her thoughts, values and wishes clear. So — if you ever ask yourself, “What Would Shawna Do?,” here are some precious “Lidsky Lessons” you can live by:
- If you’ve got your health, you’ve got your wealth. The rest is just details.
- The hardest things in life often have the biggest payoff.
- Look for the silver lining. It’s there, and Shawna made sure to find it.
- Move your body. Every day. Breathe fresh air! Don bridesmaid dresses and hike with your friends up Camel’s Hump, because why not?! Or go to the gym with your friends (because doing squats together is much more fun!).
- Don’t apologize for being YOU. Ever. Live proudly, with confidence.
- Go live your life — and don’t let anything hold you back.
- Laugh! Shawna loved to laugh. “Maintain the merry theme of life” — a line from the documentary on comedian Martin Short, which she loved — perfectly encapsulates Shawna Lidsky’s vibrant life and spirit.
The world lost a lot of its light when Shawna left us. But if she read that line, she’d roll her eyes and say, “Well then, stop moping and start brightening it!”
And then she might even dance and belt out this line from the Springsteen song “Badlands”: “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”
And that is the No. 1 Lidsky Lesson we all ought to live by!
Near the end of her life, Shawna summed it all up in a way only she could:
“Thanks for the fun. I’ve had a great run.”
So did we, Shawna.
So did we.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share memories, photos and condolences to the family, please visit readyfuneral.com.
This article appears in September 2 • 2026.
Thank you for this beautiful obit. Whoever wrote it did a masterful job. If you don’t cry after reading it, you have no heart. Now I will dry my tears and “get out in the world with a smile” because, that’s what Shawna would do.