LACONIA ----Barbara Joan “BJ” Shannon, 56, of Scenic Road, died on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at her home.
BJ was born on September 7, 1966, in Bayside New York, daughter to Barbara Prendergast Shannon and Gerard Shannon.
Nicknamed “Baysider” by her father Gerard, deceased, BJ made a name for herself on the dance floor as a competitive ballroom dancer, and could often be found in a denim jacket, with black Lil’ Abner boots, listening to Led Zeppelin. She graduated from Monsignor Scanlon in 1983. BJ often came home with stray dogs she found on her walks, begging her mom to let her take care of everyone. Though she couldn’t quite care for all, after a threat to sleep in the garage, BJ loved Seamus, Duke and Chloe.
In 1985, BJ met the love of her life, Michael Gerard Hoare, through family friends, and their adventures took them around the world. They married in Galway, Ireland, at what most of their guests call the wedding of the century. The wedding became a weeklong affair, with pints and champagne poured all over Ireland. After getting married the couple moved to London, where they lived in an apartment by the Tower Bridge and BJ worked for an architectural firm.
After a few years in London, the pair moved back to Mike’s hometown in Ireland, expanding their family with the most beautiful golden retriever, Freeway, and they opened the Sallyport, the restaurant with the best food in Limerick. Regulars pledged their loyalty to the Sallyport based on BJ’s cooking, with many saying the first thing they did when they considered popping in for lunch was scanning the parking lot for BJ’s car. Her Chicken Francaise and lasagna are known from the shores of Ireland to the waves of Lake Winnipesauke — the next move for the couple.
In 2011, BJ and Mike traded in the luck of the Irish for Live Free or Die -- Limerick for New Hampshire. BJ spent summers there with her family growing up, water skiing, swimming and sharing laughs around bonfires. The pair moved to the United States with Tubbs and Crockett, two white golden retriever brothers who joined the family after Freeway passed. Their home in Weirs Beach became a vacation spot for family that built years of memories, countless Fourth of Julys shared under fireworks, dozens of BBQs, hours of tubing and water skiing, and most importantly, a lifetime of precious moments together. BJ and Mike even generously opened up their home to a family wedding in 2021, where the sun shinned down on a perfect Labor Day weekend affair. BJ spent hours and hours planning, meticulously going over every inch of her home in an effort to make it the perfect wedding venue. This was not out of the ordinary for BJ, who could have worked as an interior designer, with her eye for décor.
Her family will forever hear her singing “Firework” by Katy Perry, and we’re all waiting to sing and dance with her again.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Mike; her mother, Barbara; Mike’s parents, Mary and Paddy; her sisters, Katherine and Sarah; her sisters-in-law, Mai, Denise, and Siobhan; her brothers-in-law, Timmy, Fernando, John, and Pat; and her nieces and nephews.
Calling Hours will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., at Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH 03246, using the Carriage House entrance.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 300 NH Rte 25, Meredith, NH 03253.
For those who wish, the family suggests memorial donations in Barbara’s name be made to New Hampshire SPCA, 104 Portsmouth Avenue, Stratham, NH 03885 or online at NHSPCA .
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, Laconia, NH, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.