Shaina Nicole Brennan Clemente, age 32, of Dunmore, PA, passed away peacefully following a valiant battle with metastatic colon cancer. Shaina was a loving wife to her husband, Matthew L. Clemente, Esquire, and a caring mother to her two young children, Adeline and Theodore. Shaina was diagnosed with colon cancer while pregnant with Teddy. She endured three major surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, including several while pregnant. Shaina accepted her grave diagnosis with grace and calm, yet never stopped fighting to come home to the family she loved.
Born in Burlington, Vermont on February 18, 1989, Shaina was the daughter of James and Laura Brennan of Swiftwater. Shaina grew up volunteering with the Pocono Township Fire Company and the Seeing Eye, raising several service dogs. After graduating Pocono Mount East High School at the top of her class, Shaina earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Green Mountain College in Vermont, where she graduated magna cum laude.
Following graduation, she returned to Northeast Pennsylvania and established a career as a state employee and proud union member. Shaina first worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulating public drinking water, and later the Department of Health inspecting public pools and beaches.
Shaina was a feminist and environmentalist. She instilled her love of nature and animals in her daughter Adeline. Shaina enjoyed reading and travel. Shaina was kind, compassionate and generous. She noticed when others struggled and sought to ease their burdens. Shaina and Matt shared a loving home in Dunmore, where Shaina nurtured two rescue cats, three bunnies, and a Tibetan spaniel.
In 2015, Shaina began a fairytale love story with her eventual husband, Matt. Both beamed while together and shared a love that was apparent to all who encountered them. They enjoyed an enchanting wedding at the Settler’s Inn on September 15, 2018 and a delightful Hawaiian honeymoon. Those were the best days of their lives.
Shaina is survived by her parents and two siblings, Chelsea Brennan of Swiftwater, and Matthew Brennan of Madison, Wisconsin. Shaina is also survived by three grandparents and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Shaina is also survived by her in-laws, Jeffrey and Frances Clemente of Beach Lake.
A celebration of Shaina’s life will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 232 Wyoming Ave, Scranton, PA 18503. Calling hours will begin 9:30 AM with a service starting at 11:00 AM. Following the service, there will be a reception until 2 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Shaina’s name to Dress for Success, 300 Lackawanna Ave, Scranton, PA 18503; United Neighborhood Center, 425 Alder Street, Scranton, PA 18505; or MSK Kids, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 5028, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5028.