Shawn Thomas Hicks, 59, passed away on February 7, 2026, in Omaha, NE. He was born on August 11, 1966, in Marietta, GA to Andrea Rose and Thomas Edward Hicks. Shawn had a heart of gold and was a loyal friend. He loved making people happy and enjoying life.
Shawn was a talented singer-songwriter that performed countless local and regional shows in the power trio LouderThanLove. He had a great love of music particularly from the 1970s-1990s, ranging from Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Carole King, Humble Pie, Pat Travers Band, The 5th Dimension, Jethro Tull, YES, Frank Marino/Mahogany Rush, The Allman Brothers Band, Robin Trower, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, to Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Stryper, Iron Maiden, and Dokken. And of course, bands like Pearl Jam, U2, Soundgarden, Type O Negative, Pantera, Alice in Chains, STP, Oasis, Radiohead, Creed, Tool, Slayer, Testament, and Metallica.
Shawn’s childhood included living in Louisiana, Texas, Ohio and Nebraska, in order to stay close to his extended family. When he became an adult, he was always excited for “Adventure Time” when he could go and explore new places. This usually meant a trip from Omaha to Lincoln, NE where he enjoyed some of his favorite outings.
During the spring, Shawn looked forward to gardening. He often read books about growing plants and flowers and even took horticulture classes and briefly worked at Mulhall’s. He grew several varieties of heirloom tomatoes including Black Krim, Green Zebra and Black Cherry. He also couldn’t wait to plant beautiful petunias and morning glories. Spring rain always brought him peace.
Summertime meant trips to Okoboji, Woods Pool in Lincoln, and outdoor concerts. It was also time to harvest all of those yummy tomatoes.
Autumn was possibly his favorite season. Football ruled the television! He cheered on the Kansas State Wildcats, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. He loved everything about Halloween, dressing up in costumes and decorating with lights, black cats and pumpkins.
Cooking and cooking shows took center stage each winter. Shawney’s Mango Tango Chicken and crockpot turkey were the best! He found great inspiration from chefs Kevin Belton, Lidia Bastianich and Pati Jinich on PBS when crafting Louisiana, Mexican and Italian fare. At Christmas time, he enjoyed celebrating with family and making the house festive with C9 Christmas lights and holiday decorations.
Throughout his life, Shawn was immersed in history, sci-fi and anime after watching Tora! Tora! Tora!, Midway, Star Trek TOS, Star Wars, Star Blazers, Battlestar Galactica and Speed Racer as a child. He built many models of ships, planes and the Starship Enterprise. He amassed a large collection of The Lord of the Rings trilogy box sets. He loved to quote from Beavis and Butt-Head, and Ren & Stimpy. He followed politics but never let it become divisive. He believed in social justice and doing the right thing to help people. He held a special place in his heart for Seattle, WA, Vancouver Island BC, South Dakota, Pensacola, FL and indeed, Lincoln, NE.
His love of nature and animals was most endearing. He was especially drawn to cats, calico cats in particular. He and Sara often named the animals and even insects that they engaged with (Shawn occasionally called them “creatures”) and discussing them was part of their daily lives.
Shawn is survived by his mother Andrea Draney; stepfather Bruce Draney; life partner Sara Wandel; sisters, Angela Kuehn and Ronda Loring; brothers, Christopher Erisson, Heath Draney, Jarrod Hicks, Todd Hicks, Brandon Huard; and numerous family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Edward Hicks; and brother, Garen Thomas Hicks.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 2 PM at First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D St, Lincoln, NE 68502.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be donated to Shawn’s brother, Christopher Erisson, for future designation.
Shawn’s Funeral Service will be livestreamed HERE
Our Shawn was a gentleman and a gentle man who will be greatly missed.
Every part of me misses every part of you. I love you Shawn!
Shawn, you taught me a lot about music in a few years that we were roommates. I’ll always remember our heated debates about Star Trek vs. Star Wars or what color to paint your bedroom wall. It never really mattered who won or who lost, it was great to be your roommate it was even better to be your friend.
Although we hadn’t seen each other in what felt like a million years The last time I talked to you felt like no time had passed at all. The world lost a good one when you left it. Silverlining man, Valhalla’s got themselves one hell of a singer/songwriter/lead guitarist now, don’t they?
Thank you for loving my sister so deeply and being such an incredible part of our lives. I will miss your laugh and the joy you brought to every family gathering. Your kindness will never be forgotten.
Shawn, since I was little, I’ve admired your love for music and love for life. You’re the one who taught me that you can find joy in the smallest things, to be unapologetically myself, quirkiness was cool and music can make anything better. I’ve always strived to have a green thumb like yours and will continue to better my garden in all the ways you taught me and enjoy all the little furry and feathery friends who come to visit.
We love you so much and miss you so much already. We will keep your memory and music alive. Until we see each other again… 💜