Family, friends and community members gathered on a rainy Monday night for a candlelit memorial service to celebrate the life of a local Norman business owner affectionately known as the Cookie Queen.
Shannon Hanshett, owner of Oakey Baking Company, described as a committed community leader and activist, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Cleveland County Detention Center early Thursday morning.
She was arrested by Norman officers on Nov. 26 on a complaint that she called 911 on a false alarm and obstructed officers. A friend of hers told the transcript that she called the police the night she was arrested.
Those who spoke of Hanshet described the mother of two boys as a loving person who was always there for those in need.
Sereta Wilson, who met and became friends with Hanshet through a business collaboration, said she was impressed by the way Hanshet made her dreams come true.
“When it came time for her to grow up, I got the idea that this cottage might be available. It’s exactly what she wanted: to have a cottage,” Wilson said. I was so impressed with her. Seeing her get Cookie Cottage was the coolest thing ever. “
According to Nathaniel Smith, president of Pride, some remembered Norman Pride’s founding member Hanshet as a powerful ally of the voiceless.
“All about her was that she loved and accepted everyone. She really just wanted to build that community in Norman,” Smith said. “We keep that in mind at every event to start Cookie Cottage, even though we thought she left the board due to health issues. how do you do it?”
Smith said Norman would lose someone who cared for others, no matter who that person was or what their life circumstances were.
“She was just a mother to everyone because she would sit there listening to you for hours and giving you advice,” he said. You may be a random person on the street, but she was there for you.
Dozens of people, including my friend Mary Smith, told stories about Hanshet.
Smith recounted the last time he saw Hanshett and that the last words he heard his friend say were “goodbye.” Smith said the reason Hanshet always said it was because “she thought of everyone as a friend,” he said.
Rachel Lafitte took the stage to talk about the impact her sister had on her life and how she hopes her legacy will continue to impact those in her community.
“I can’t imagine my life without her,” Lafitte said.
Hanshett’s death is under investigation by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.
The celebration of Hanshet’s life begins at 2:00 pm on Tuesday at the Havenbrook Funeral Home, 3401 Havenbrook Street. According to Havenbrook’s website, it will be live-streamed.
