Obituary of Shannon Dale Luton

Shan Luton, age 53, formerly of Joplin, Missouri, passed away January 21, 2022, in McKinney, Texas, from pancreatic cancer. Shan was born on July 17, 1968, in Joplin, Missouri, to Stanley and Sharon (Wilson) Luton. He attended Riverton, Kansas, and Joplin, Missouri, schools, graduating from Joplin High School in 1986. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with a minor in the Spanish Language from Missouri Southern State College (now Missouri Southern University). He went on to achieve his Certified Public Accountant designation from the State of Texas. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1995 and was an attorney and counselor at law of the Missouri Bar. Although he began his career with CPA firms such as PriceWaterhouseCooper, Shan eventually moved to private practice and worked for several well-known companies, such as Frito-Lay/Pepsico, Dean Foods, Whitewave, and Nokia, before ending his career with Match Group as Senior Vice President, Tax. He was especially proud of his creation of two tax departments from the ground up and his participation in different large mergers and acquisitions, including overseas companies in Europe and Asia. His job allowed Shan to travel frequently, and he tremendously enjoyed each country. He visited Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Ireland, France, England, Spain, Italy, and China. Vacations with his family included Jamaica, St. Thomas, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and Europe. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of various financial entities/companies, Shan was a multi-year member of the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Collin County, Community Lifeline, and Stonebridge United Methodist Church. He spent eight consecutive summers building houses in Tecate, Mexico, for homeless families, remaining in contact with several of those families until he passed away. Shan also utilized his financial and legal background to volunteer in the creation of a nonprofit Christian startup, Project Story. In addition, his legal experience and proficiency in Spanish combined so he could help Catholic Charities assist asylum seekers with achieving legal status in the United States. In his free time, Shan pursued martial arts, eventually earning his First Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He ran a marathon, just to see if he could do it, and completed several sprint triathlons, his last one in the company of his wife. Shan married his high school sweetheart, Julie (Hook) Luton, in 1990. They just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. They have two children, Zachary and Katelynn. One of the joys of Shan’s life was spending time with his children and supporting their activities, especially sports. As his children grew up, Shan coached many different teams both children played on, including baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. Shan lived with his family in various cities, including Crestline, Kansas; Joplin, Missouri; Irving, Texas; Olathe, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Lee’s Summit, Missouri; and McKinney, Texas. Survivors include Shan’s wife, Julie (Hook) Luton, and his children, Zachary Luton and Katelynn Luton, of McKinney, Texas; his parents, Stanley and Sharon (Wilson) Luton, of Joplin, Missouri; his brother, Scott Luton and his wife, Julie, of Carl Junction, Missouri; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law (not related by blood but by love), Greg Adams and Dr. Misty Hook, of McKinney, Texas; and several nephews and a niece: Jack Luton, Jordan (Luton) Widner, Ben Luton, and Ian Hook-Adams. Shan elected to be cremated. Two memorial services are planned: one in McKinney, Texas, on January 29th, at 3 pm at Stonebridge United Methodist Church; and one in Joplin, Missouri, on February 5th at 3 pm at Parker Mortuary. He will be interred at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery in Joplin, Missouri, at a later date.