Shaun Michael O'Malley

Shaun Michael O’Malley, age 41 of Maryville, passed away from a sudden illness September 19, 2025 in Pigeon Forge.

Shaun graduated from William Blount High School in 2002 and from Maryville College with a BA in English Language and Literatures in 2007. While in college, he developed an interest in working in residence life. Over the next decade, he lived and worked at colleges in Maine, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Tennessee, and Connecticut. Along the way, he also earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from Penn State University.

But Shaun had a deep love for East Tennessee, and he moved home to be close to the mountains and his parents. In East Tennessee, he served as Executive Director of the Downtown Maryville Association and worked as a manager at restaurants in Blount, Knox, and Sevier Counties. If you wanted information about what building was going up in any of these counties, or whether it was worthwhile to go and try this new restaurant, you wisely went to Shaun first.

Anyone who knows Shaun can testify that he was a man of deep passion, who had the most tender of hearts. He was loyal in friendship, happy to drive across the country to help a friend in need. He loved movies and musicals, sure to give you a review of this or that film or play moments after it premiered.

Shaun is survived by his parents, Diane and Thomas Capps of Maryville, TN; his brother Tim O’Malley his wife Kara, niece and nephew Tommy and Maggie, all of Granger, Indiana.

The family will be mourning the loss of Shaun privately, however to commemorate Shaun’s life we ask that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

Condolences may be shared at Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com.