Shawn Kevin Chopra

Shawn Chopra was in the middle of everything and yet managed a distance between himself and the chaos outside the eye of the storm. He was worldly and grounded. An old, soul in a forever young body. A foodie and avid traveler. Able to wear a tuxedo with savoir faire and navigate the menu of a James Beard Awarded restaurant—if the food items did not touch each other on his plate. He was most comfortable with a tan, in his shorts, a tee shirt, flip flops and sunglasses while experiencing the culinary delights of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza or a Pizza Hut veggie lovers pizza—no olives. A man of the people while remaining his own person.

Shawn was a great listener. He would ask thoughtful questions to understand who you were and had a way of engaging people from all backgrounds and walks of life that was respectful and inquisitive without intrusion. Shawn knew everyone better than they knew him—maybe better than they knew themselves. He used this effectively in his role as peacemaker. You might find him quietly laughing and contemplating how he might add to a lively conversation between family and friends while determining whose side he would take in a debate. And though he chose sides—mostly for sport—he was the first to offer an olive branch and seek common ground.

A voracious reader, the written word stimulated his intellect and creativity. He gorged on pulp, American literature, history, science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between and could suggest a good book for you from any genre, based on your personal taste. He could breakdown the statistics of his favorite football team the Washington Commanders, provide an analysis of the New York Yankees and their odds of making the post season, wax poetically about Derek Jeter at short stop and talk about his all-time favorite baseball player, Ricky Henderson. He loved traveling to Spring Training with his friends. Shawn loved his friends. However, his great love was and is his chihuahua Mike Lowrey—named after the Will Smith character in Bad Boys. Shawn made sure that Mike Lowrey had/has his own Instagram page. Mike Lowrey is lost without him.

Shawn’s other great love was his grandma Chopra, the matriarch of the family. She delighted in telling the story of their first meeting where he proclaimed “you, I never liked you.” It was the moment he met his soul mate. He loved and cared for her throughout her life and most profoundly during her most difficult days. They are searching for each other now.

Shawn loved to dance. According to friends, being in the club “was one of the best things on planet earth.” He was regarded as a terrible dancer but didn’t care. Shawn would dance with reckless abandon to old-school gangster hip-hop tunes as though no one else was a watching. His friends knew that if you were with Shawn, something interesting would happen. And it always did. He had an amazing gift of meeting the most famous people in public places and has the selfies to prove it.

Shawn loved his family. He didn’t always agree with them, but he loved them and showed this through his loyalty and devotion. He was and is the connective tissue between generations and multiple Chopra Families.

Shawn is survived by his father Sudhir, mother Nita, Sister Sonia, brother-in-law Danny and beloved niece Veronica; brother Corey and cherished nieces, Camryn and Caitlyn, brother Jean Pierre (JP) and sister Singita. His cousins Priti, husband Pankaj, Nitin, wife Lipika, and Deepti, husband Siddharth, were like other siblings to Shawn. He was a “funkle,” always the favorite uncle to his siblings’ children, his cousin’s children, and the children of his friends. He was a loyal son, an introspective and thoughtful brother, a favorite friend, a confidant to those closest to him, and a truly unique, gentle, and wonderful soul.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donate to the following cause: https://fundraise.roomtoread.org/fundraiseusd/shawn-chopra-memorial-book-fund