Rick was born in Portland, Maine on June 25, 1957 to Virginia E. (Barnes) Shannon, homemaker, and Eugene J. Shannon, lobsterman. His parents were originally from New York, but had moved to Long Island, Maine after WWII, where Eugene was previously stationed. In his youth he was called ‘Richie’ and was the youngest of three, now survived by his older sister, Donna (Shannon) Richards, and older brother, John Shannon, both of the Portland/Westbrook area.

Rick was born with bilateral clubfoot that resulted in many surgeries and therapies from birth through his adolescence. He spent many school vacations undergoing procedures so that he could walk and continue walking. He rarely talked or complained about the amount of pain he experienced daily from being on his feet, but it was agony for him. 

With his family he moved from Long Island to the mainland into Portland’s Northgate neighborhood when Rick was in his early adolescence. Because of the care he needed early in life he developed a deep connection with his mother and felt a strong drive to demonstrate that he was just as capable and strong as the other men in his life. Needless to say, when Rick graduated from Deering High School in 1976 and turned down College acceptance and a scholarship to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to be an architect, his mother was not impressed…as he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps. He spent his teen and young adult years in Portland, where he met and made lifelong friends, including Tom Dewitt, now of Standish, and Jim Porter now of Lewiston. 

He spent his young adulthood: as a lobsterman, helping his father and brother run the family business. He met his first wife, Susan (Merritt) while selling lobsters in 1977, married her in 1981, and they welcomed their daughter, Virginia “Ginny” Shannon, in 1984.

Rick was a large and incredibly strong man during his prime (described as being able to carry 300+ pound bait barrels alone with seeming ease) and was respected and well-known around the Portland area by those in the fishing industry. He had LOTS of very exciting and interesting stories from that time of his life that he liked to reminisce about with close loved ones. 

He was also a man of many trades; for instance, he helped run a scallop shucking business, built and operated a fish market with a seafood takeout business, bought and sold gold/silver jewelry, and had a seafood trailer that he brought around the fair circuit. Unfortunately, his first marriage was strained with how much Rick worked, so he and Susan divorced in the late 80s, but both were supportive and respected each other for the remainder of his days. Sadly, both of Rick’s parents passed away by the time Rick was age 30.

He met Vivian (Humble) soon after, and they married in 1992. With Viv, came her 3 young children: Ben Truong, Naomi (Humble) Goodwin, and Joshua Humble, who Rick loved dearly and helped raise. To Rick, they were his, and he thought of and treated them as his own for the rest of his life. 

He and his family resided in several towns in Midcoast Maine, and eventually settled in Appleton Village in the early 2000s. While in the Midcoast, his occupation shifted over the years. He worked as a Foreman on the Rockland docks, a long-distance truck driver delivering seafood to other parts of the US, built and ran a BBQ food truck with a wood-burning smoker, and most recently was a School Bus Driver for Luce Transportation that served the Camden Rockport district, mainly driving Appleton bus routes. No matter the job, Rick did his best and was often known as the most respected and reliable member of the team. 

In his later years, Rick experienced injuries that came with disability and hardship, but with that came plentiful spiritual and emotional growth. He never complained about his circumstances and focused on what he was grateful for. Rick was always one to volunteer help to others and not ask for help himself unless absolutely necessary. He donated to charities with the little income he had, helped clean neighbors' driveways full of snow, and used his tools and tractor to serve others however he could. 

The most profound loss Rick experienced was the loss of his son, Joshua, who perished at age 21 in Iraq as a US Army infantry soldier in 2006. Shortly after that loss, Rick and Vivian parted and divorced in 2008. They continued to celebrate holidays and achievements with their shared children until his passing.

Rick had many interests and passions throughout his life, including playing guitar both acoustic and electric, CB and HAM radio (having earned his licenses and handle: KC1CMU), cooking, drawing and painting, photography, gardening, and so much more. He met and collected many amazing people through his varied hobbies, whom he warmly accepted into his life and loved like family. His love of music was contagious, often bringing his silly and carefree side out immediately when the right song came on. He got lost while he played his instruments: wailing on a guitar, plucking a bass, or breathing hard into a harmonica. He could not read sheet music and was completely self-taught. Rick could listen to something and within minutes was able to replicate what he heard (at times adding a little extra something to make it even better). 

He was an avid learner and enjoyed researching history, as well as discovering how to do things on his own. From fixing his vehicles, repairing his own guitars, preparing and stockpiling for “when it all goes down”, and even learning how to use an iPhone 15 after decades of resisting the most modern technologies, he liked to understand how things worked and how to do what he needed done himself.

Rick accepted and welcomed Jesus into his heart, dedicating the second half of his life to worshiping the Lord as a Christian. He strived to do whatever he could for others in His name. Rick gained solace with life’s hardships through his relationship with God and often leaned on Him in times of struggle or uncertainty. He especially felt at peace when he would worship with his close friend, Merwin Harvey (who passed away a few years ago) and continued to do so with Merwin’s family until Rick’s passing. He very much looked forward to being with Merwin and Faye (Merwin’s wife), when it was time for him to go Home.

Rick could be a serious and devout man, but his transformation into the Jester was easy for him to toggle. He had an innate ability to bring joy to others through his goofiness and laughter, his quips and his puns. His fun-loving nature was especially apparent in his interactions with children, particularly when playing with his grandchildren: Madison, Damon, Dominick, Audri, Gabriella, Annabel, Sullivan, Phineas, and Ezekiel, whom he loved and cherished deeply. Rick welcomed his daughter’s spouses, Naomi’s husband, Colin Goodwin, and Ginny’s husband, Tristan Smyth, and the mothers of Ben’s children with open arms and appreciated them for giving him such amazing grandchildren.

Ben, Naomi, and Ginny will miss and always appreciate Rick’s humor and spunk. Some examples include: him convincing them that the 1968 version of the movie “Night of the Living Dead” was a documentary of a Zombie outbreak that he lived through when he was young, him animatedly telling his many ghost stories on dark and creepy nights (some originals and some they later discovered he took from Edgar Allen Poe), and the times he would make his bedroom into a music studio so they could record classic hits like “Wild Thing” on cassette tapes while Rick jammed on his electric guitar. They will also never forget the incredible trauma he inflicted upon them: the fact that he didn’t take them to the rodeo because they misbehaved that one time. (Not really; an inside joke)

In particular, his children will never forget how much he loved them, how much they love him, and how he was truly one of the best people they have known (or will ever know). He made them feel safe. He made them feel loved. And most importantly, he made them feel so blessed to have been raised by him and to have had him for as long as they did. 

Rest well, Captain.

A private burial for Rick will take place on November 6, 2026 and is not open to the public. His family and friends will have a Celebration of Life in June 2027 with details to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these two causes that Rick had great respect for:

-Come Spring Food Pantry Union, Maine. To donate, visit: https://comespringfp.org/donate/ 

-Private donation through Molly Luce to help those suffering in Cuba. By check/money order/cash, please send to: Molly Luce, 68 Luce Lane, Hope, ME 04847. By Venmo: @Molly-Luce-2. Please put: ‘For Cuba’ in the “For” section, and she will make sure it all goes to those she helps there in need.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.ripostafh.com.