Community Corner
Neighbor on Zack Shannon: Baby Shower to Fallen Soldier
A neighbor from Army Spc. Zack Shannon's early childhood on Cedarwood Drive in Dunedin remembers him as she waited for his hearse to pass on Pinehurst Road on Monday.
Dixie Demske remembers Army Spc. Zack Shannon's baby shower in 1991.
"It was all pink," Demske said as she and her family waited for Shannon's deputy-escorted hearse to pass Dunedin High School on Monday.
Shannon, 21, was one of five soldiers who died March 11 when their helicopter went down during a night vision operation in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His remains were carried from MacDill Air Force Base to Curlew Hills Memory Gardens on Monday, March 25.
Find out what's happening in Dunedinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Demske lived two doors down from Shannon's mother Kim Allison when she lived with the boys on Cedarwood Drive, near Beltrees Street and Patricia Avenue, in Dunedin.
Kim was certain she was having a girl when she was pregnant with Zack, Demske said.
Find out what's happening in Dunedinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
She remembers Zack growing up on their street. All the boys played together with her grandchildren. Of course, Zack got picked on because he was the youngest, she said.
"They always had him screaming," Demske said with a chuckle recalling the memory. "And he was scared to death of fireworks."
Demske's young grandson Hunter Robinson, a 9-year-old Curtis Fundamental Elementary School third-grader, stood along the roadside with her on Monday, wearing an old Army fatigue cap and holding an American flag over his shoulder.
"I'm here to let everybody know I'm sorry for him dying in the helicopter," said Hunter said in a low voice, his eyes looking down at the ground.
The flag started getting heavy so he put it up on the high school fence.
"We're trying to teach him not to let it touch the ground," his mother said.
Demske continued sharing memories of Kim and the boys, recalling how hard she worked as a single mother taking care of four boys and putting herself through nursing school.
She said Kim would have all her nursing books laid out in front of her, studying at the boys' baseball games.
"She's a tough little girl," Demske said.
More Coverage of Army Spc. Zack Shannon:
- Remember Fallen Dunedin Soldier Spc. Zack Shannon
Sign up for the free Dunedin Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.