Shelby L. Hughes, 33 formerly of Beverly, died unexpectedly on June 21, 2014 in Oklahoma. She was the daughter of Sharon (Johnson) Hughes of Beverly and Guy Hughes of Sanbornville, NH.
Shelby was born and raised in Maine until she was 10 years old when she moved to Beverly in 1991, and was a graduate of Beverly High Class of ’98. Shelby was a gifted artist, from a young age, and pursued her love of art at Cooper Union in New York City with a full scholarship. She graduated from Cooper with a BFA in 2003. Upon her graduation, Shelby exhibited her works of art internationally in New York, Miami, Berlin and Tokyo. Her works are also included in the Judith Rothschild Foundation at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. In 2005 Shelby began her designing career at Old Navy in NYC and San Francisco. She returned to NYC from California in 2007 to design handbags and accessories for the Rosetti Group and various freelance clients including, Tommy Hilfiger, Nine West, Aldo and Kohl’s.
In 2009, Shelby met her fiancée Bryan Van Assche. They moved to Oklahoma in 2011 to participate in Brian’s family business interests. She continued her love of the arts while living in Oklahoma.
In addition to her mother and father, Shelby is survived by her maternal grandparents, Stanley and Jeannette Johnson of Danvers, her paternal grandmother, Micki Hughes of Ipswich, her uncle Steven Johnson and his wife Donna of Salem and their son Roy McDennon of Salem, her aunt Linda Glover and her husband Mark of Beverly, her aunt Sharon Hulbert and her husband Doug of Ipswich, her aunt Lynne Stevens of Hampton, NH, and uncle Chris Hughes and his wife Lorna of Ipswich. She is also survived by her fiancee’s mother Kristine Van Assche of Idaho, as well as many close family members and friends.
A private memorial service and committal service is planned for her family. There will be no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Northeast Animal Shelter, Inc., 347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970. Funeral arrangements are by the Levesque Funeral Home of Salem. For guestbook, please visit www.LevesqueFunerals.com