Shae Ashley Steven Franklin
July 24, 1981 - February 10, 2023
The absolute flood of heartbreak, love, and support after Shae’s passing has been a true reflection of the impact she has had on everyone she ever knew. Hearing the stories of experiences with her proves that she was the most unique person any of us have encountered. Even if someone had just met her once, they felt an instant connection and had a funny story to share. As so many of you are aware, Shae put in an immense amount of effort into making sure that every single person she interacted with got her undivided attention. She felt so deeply. Reading your incredible accounts of life with Shae got me thinking . . . because I have heard similar wonderfully touching stories over and over. Nothing explains this tragedy. However, could it be that maybe the human body only has so much energy for giving love, care, attention and concern in a single lifetime, and Shae used hers all up in her short 41 years? Her mind, her heart may have been exhausted from taking in all of the pain in this world.
It has become so apparent that she was such a loyal person. She has a group of close friends from every stage of her life that are equally as close to her. Shae was the glue that held every group together throughout the course of her life. Because of that talent, I feel like I have gained about 200 sisters. Thank you for loving her, and for loving me because of her.
Sister Memories
Oh Shae, a.k.a. Sos (I was Sis), where do I begin with us? It's always been Jasmin and Shae/Shae and Jasmin. I remember playing "poor baby" where Mommy Sandra and I would pretend someone left you on our porch step in a basket when you were a young child, and we would take you in and love and care for you. You were so so cute and I recognized at a young age how magnetic you were. Like when you purposefully mispronounced "refriger-re-rator" and "rhino-soro-saurus" so that everyone would laugh at how precious you were, I knew what you were up to.:) Our adolescent and teen years were filled with wholesome neighborhood fun, sports, and summer nights in our backyard swimming and listening to KKRD on the radio. We became known for our silly "commercials" and music videos, and all our friends wanted to be a part of them. At KU, I remember crying to my sorority sisters when you decided to go Gamma Phi, but deep down I knew you belonged there. We were two different people, and that was ok. Your friends became my friends and my friends became your friends. Two of my favorite memories of us as adults was our road trip to Miami in our early 20s (yes, Miami!) and our spontaneous trip to Kauai, Hawaii after Daddy died. I am so blessed to have had those experiences and they will always be with me.
We have always been the blonde and the brunette sisters. Then came Harper (your God-daughter) and Lola, the blonde and brunette sisters part 2. Then came Simone (my God-daughter) and Sofia, the blonde and the brunette sisters part 3. The best thing that happened to me, Shae, was when you moved back to Wichita so that we could raise our babies together. It feels absolutely crushing to think of our future without you. However, I, along with the hundreds upon hundreds who love you, will together help raise your precious babies. They will never know a day without love and support. I promise you that.
I am so grateful that, as a photographer, I got the opportunity to photograph Shae and her family these past few years.
Shae, I love you and will miss the bombardment of your texts every day. Until we meet again...
SHAE'S OBITUARY
Shae's obituary was perfectly written by our most talented cousin, Allie Ammar, as was this much needed EULOGY that he read at her funeral. Shae would've wanted us to share in some laughter today.
And this slideshow is one thing I needed to accomplish to start my grieving process.
I hope this accurately represents the very best of Shae's life.