Nicholas Shane Cahoon

Nic, born Nicholas Shane Cahoon on June 1, 1997, to Kenneth Barnett and Tonya Cahoon, died unexpectedly in a tragic accident on May 30, 2022.

He is survived by his mother, Tonya; his brothers, Brandon Barnett, Caleb Cahoon, and Logan Cahoon; his sister, Rebecca Barnett; as well as his grandmother, Robbie Cahoon.

Nicholas was very smart. When he was little, he was into and curious about everything. When he was two, he ironed the couches, i.e., left big burn mark patterns on said couches with not one burn mark on him. Some mornings, his mom would wake up and he would have the toaster taken apart or his little brother covered in peanut butter and jelly. His mom said she had poison control on speed dial because he once drank a bottle of fingernail polish remover and ran through the house hollering “I’m a fire-breathing dragon! Rawr!” In his teens he rewired the breaker box conveniently, or not so conveniently depending on how you looked at it, to accommodate his needs. This curious nature and rambunctious spirit got him labeled with ADHD in school like it wasn’t already known by anyone close to him.

As Nic got older he didn’t always enjoy life. The world showed him early on how cruel it could be. He faced hurt, loss, addiction, incarceration, and betrayal, he felt it all. In spite of that, he did what so many others can’t seem to do. He lived life to the fullest every day. He was a free spirit, present and in the moment at all times.

Nic overcame so many bad breaks in life, and he did so without allowing bitterness or hate into his heart. He had lost so many people throughout his short life. His dad, Kenneth Barnett, died when Nic was just 20 years old, but even before that his favorite uncle, Kevin Barnett, his grandfather, Dusty Cahoon, and his aunt, Lisa Eddington had all passed away. Yet he never complained that life was unfair. He would mourn his losses and carry on living for his friends and loved ones. He never felt sorry for himself. He was the type of person that found a way to be positive in almost any situation. If there was a silver lining, he would find it.

He always just wanted to do better, to be better, and to just squeeze from life every ounce of living that could be had in one lifetime. Nic was awkward and unsure more times than not in his school years and growing stages. But his mom would always remind him that he was perfect and that he had so much to look forward to in the future. She tried to tell him that he was going to be great looking in his 20’s and 30’s, and that things would just get better and better for him from then on. That his adult years would see him change into that intriguing young man with a poetic soul. He just had to relax and watch it happen.

And it did, it was finally happening. He was coming into his own. He was good-looking, self-confident, and wasn’t shy about saying so. He was going to the gym regularly and working out. He would regularly pop his head into his mom’s room to kidnap her dog Clyde to go run trails at the park with him for hours. He loved his new job working at Crush Wine Bar and Grill and was surrounded there by the new friends he was making in his coworkers. He was dating. His happiness only grew with every new relationship, friendship, or love that he valued as only Nic could. If you saw Nic he always looked happy. You would never know the pain he must have gone through. He was enjoying the little things in life, finding reasons to be grateful every single day…

Six Words to describe Nicholas Cahoon?

Made his own rules, loved all.

All of us die, but not all of us truly live. Nicholas lived every day with a passion too great for this world. And he shared that gift with others every opportunity he got. In his last moments here with us, he donated his organs, saving four lives with what was left of his.

Nic was going to be 25 years old on June 1st.

Special thanks to Caleb Miller, Raylee Roberson, my mom and aunts Scotti Rzepniewski (Zepnewski), and Carda Darby.