Tributes to Prestatyn dad, 42, who bravely fought cancer for years

Shaun Loughran died aged 42 on October 17, having fought the illness for four years.

He is survived by his parents, Brenda and Kevin; his wife, Jenni; his children, Grace and Oliver; and his siblings, Michelle, Michael and Siobhan.

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Originally from Runcorn, Shaun had lived in Prestatyn for 15 years, and was a staunch supporter of Everton Football Club.

Shaun and Jenni met at Pontins, where he held various jobs, before they lived and worked in Fuerteventura together, and then married in Turkey last year.

Shaun and Jenni with their two children on their wedding day. (Image: Michelle Crockett)

Throughout November 2022, he took on a daily “keepy-uppy” challenge in support of the Bobby Moore Fund to aid Cancer Research, including at locations such as Goodison Park and Rhuddlan Castle, and raised more than £4,000 in doing so.

Following his funeral, Shaun’s friend, Steve Budgen, felt compelled to set up on an online fundraiser page to support his family with living expenses.

Steve, who played on the same pool team as Shaun, has since received more than £5,000 in donations – which you can add to by visiting: www.gofundme.com/f/secure-the-future-of-shauns-children.

“I’ve known Shaun for more than 10 years; we were really close friends,” Steve said.

“I set the GoFundMe page up after his funeral because there were so many people there, and he’d done so much for charity himself.

“I’ve never done a GoFundMe in my life, so for me to feel compelled to do it shows what type of person Shaun was.

“He just always had time for everybody. I don’t think there was a bad bone in his body; you couldn’t meet a nicer person. In all of the years I knew him, he was always there for others.

Shaun Loughran at Goodison Park. (Image: Michelle Crockett)

“He was a good family man, and just somebody people enjoyed being around, which I think was reflected by the amount of people at his funeral.

“All of the proceeds from the GoFundMe go to Shaun’s wife and kids. I wouldn’t like to think that they’re struggling after what’s happened, so I just wanted to give them a bit of support now that Shaun’s not here.”

Shaun’s siblings also celebrated the life of their late brother, a man who “meant the world to everyone who knew and loved him”.

They recalled his love of family holidays, teaching his son how to play football and snooker, doing arts and crafts with his daughter, and evening walks along the beach.

In a joint tribute, they said: “Shaun was an amazing son, brother, husband and father and meant the world to everyone who knew and loved him.

“He had the ability to light up any room he was in with his huge smile and personality.

Shaun Loughran at Goodison Park. (Image: Michelle Crockett)

“Shaun also loved family parties, gatherings at Christmas or watching big England games together. He absolutely adored Everton because of our dad; we had blue on as soon as we were all born.

“Shaun loved attending Everton games, especially if it involved having a few beers before and after the match, which was a regular occurrence years back.

“Shaun was always thinking about others and their wellbeing, even though he had serious health problems himself.

“Shaun loved playing pool for his pool team on a Sunday night and was a brilliant player; he also played for the county.

“Shaun was charismatic, funny, charming, friendly, handsome and extremely courageous, but most importantly, he was an amazing husband, father, son and an amazing human being.

“The world will be a lesser place without Shaun in it.”