Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer was born 73 years ago in Canton, Ohio. He died on May 3 in Oakland, California where he had lived since 1993. In 1975 he packed all his possessions in his tiny car and left Ohio, driving cross country to San Francisco, displaying the amazingly brave and adventurous spirit that marked his life. He leaves behind his sisters Yvonne (Norm) Delamater, Pam Shearer, and Athena Esber; his brother Steve Shearer; nieces Becky Rutherford, Stephany Collins, and Christa Shearer; nephew Chris Camarinos; and great-nephews Aidan Monteith and Christopher Rutherford as well as many cousins and friends to mourn his passing. Alan was preceded in death by his parents Alvin (1966) and Dorothy (1963) Shearer.

Alan’s college years were spent at Kent State University, San Francisco State University, and California State University, Long Beach. While he spent most of his time in California, he also traveled to Florida, New Mexico, and Ohio to visit family and even spent some time in Mexico.

If Alan was anything and he was many things to many people, he was enterprising. In California he held a variety of jobs and was most proud of his work as manager at the print shop Joseph Magnin. He also worked in the call center at Williams-Sonoma from 1991-1998. Probably his greatest enterprise was acquiring items and selling them at weekend garage sales in San Francisco, befriending those who were already selling outside their homes. He also earned income from selling items on Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon where he was a highly-rated seller. According to Dominic Lloyd, his friend of over 30 years, he was always particularly proud to announce a good find that was able to make him a handsome profit.

Alan loved to walk in his Oakland neighborhood, often at least three times daily. On his Facebook page viewers could enjoy his photos of the neighborhood, including lush flowers, unusual cars, and friendly cats. Alan was a talented photographer who knew how to capture a moment that would bring joy to others.

He was definitely a talker, not surprising as his interests were many. Alan was greatly concerned about protecting the environment and about all issues of equity and social justice. His latest passion was family genealogy, uncovering many fascinating facts and photos about both sides of his family.

Alan also had a great sense of humor. As he was researching family history, he asked his sister Pam for contact information on a cousin. After she texted the information, he replied,

“I hope she [the cousin] doesn’t think I am some kind of a nut. I am some kind of nut but not dangerous.” That was Alan; he knew how to make people laugh.

Alan was a kind, considerate, thoughtful man and friend. We will miss his texts,emails, phone calls, and Facebook posts. We will miss him.

A celebration of his life will be held May 29 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Alameda Funeral Home in Alameda, California. Your presence and your memories are welcome. For information, call Harry W. Greer. Funeral Director (FDR-745)