For years, Shawna Lidsky was one of the familiar faces Vermont viewers welcomed into their homes. First through sports television and later through a successful business venture, she built a career defined by competition, creativity and a willingness to take on something new.
Lidsky has died following a more than five-year battle with cancer. The longtime Vermont sports journalist and founder of the Vermont Brownie Company passed away Friday morning, just days before what would have been her 51st birthday.
Her death has brought an outpouring of remembrance from family members, friends, former colleagues and people across Vermont who knew her from television or followed the entrepreneurial chapter of her life.
Shawna Lidsky Built a Career in Vermont Sports Television
Lidsky’s connection with Vermont television audiences began in 1998, when she joined WCAX.
Sports journalism quickly became the platform through which many viewers came to know her. Rather than simply reporting scores and results, Lidsky developed a reputation for bringing personality and enthusiasm to the stories she covered.
Her work eventually earned significant recognition, including an Edward R. Murrow Award and honors from the Associated Press.
Those accomplishments reflected a career built not only around sports but also around storytelling and connecting with the people behind the competition.
Lidsky later became part of the WCAX morning-show team alongside Gary Sadowsky and the late Judy Simpson. Their chemistry brought another side of her personality to viewers, mixing the day’s information with humor and an easygoing presence.
Colleagues Remember Her Competitive Spirit
Away from the camera, Lidsky was remembered as someone who rarely separated determination from fun.
Her competitive personality was well known among colleagues, but so was her sense of humor and willingness to encourage the people around her.
One story that captured that side of her came during a race at Thunder Road, when Lidsky managed to pass colleague Mike McGill.
It became one of those moments that colleagues could look back on as unmistakably Shawna: competitive, adventurous and completely willing to embrace the challenge in front of her.
That appetite for new experiences would eventually lead her somewhere far removed from the sports desk.
From WCAX Sports Anchor to Vermont Brownie Company Founder
In 2008, Lidsky took her entrepreneurial ambitions seriously and founded the Vermont Brownie Company.
What began as a new venture eventually became the foundation for the next major chapter of her professional life.
After leaving WCAX, Lidsky focused more of her attention on growing the company, demonstrating that her ability to compete and connect with people extended well beyond broadcasting.
The business eventually attracted attention outside Vermont.
In 2010, Lidsky appeared on the Food Network, where she competed against celebrity chef Bobby Flay and defeated him.
The appearance introduced both Lidsky and her Vermont-based brownie business to a much wider audience.
For someone who had already established herself in television journalism, succeeding as an entrepreneur showed another dimension of the drive that friends and colleagues had long associated with her.
Shawna Lidsky Cause of Death
Shawna Lidsky died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
She was diagnosed in January 2021 and lived with the illness for approximately five and a half years.
Despite the difficult diagnosis, those remembering Lidsky have emphasized the determination and enthusiasm with which she continued living her life.
She died Friday morning shortly before her 51st birthday.
Her passing at 50 brings to an end a life that moved through several very different chapters, from award-winning sports journalism to television personality and successful Vermont entrepreneur.
A Wife, Mother and Friend Beyond Her Public Career
While television viewers and customers knew Lidsky through her professional accomplishments, her most personal legacy remains with those closest to her.
She is survived by her husband and two sons, along with other relatives, friends and loved ones.
For them, her story extends far beyond awards, television appearances or business achievements.
She was a wife, mother and friend whose humor, determination and adventurous personality became part of the everyday memories now left behind.
Vermont Remembers Shawna Lidsky
Lidsky’s career makes her difficult to define by a single profession.
Some Vermonters will always remember her standing in front of a television camera discussing sports.
Others discovered her through the Vermont Brownie Company and the business she worked to build.
Former colleagues remember the woman behind those accomplishments: competitive enough to turn almost anything into a challenge, funny enough to keep the people around her entertained and adventurous enough to walk away from an established television career and build something entirely different.
Her cancer diagnosis added another difficult chapter to that story, but it did not erase the qualities that had defined her life long before her illness.
Shawna Lidsky Leaves a Lasting Vermont Legacy
From joining WCAX in 1998 to earning prestigious broadcasting honors and eventually creating a successful food business, Shawna Lidsky built a life around pursuing opportunities rather than remaining in one lane.
Her journey connected her with television audiences, athletes, coworkers, entrepreneurs, customers and families throughout Vermont.
Now, following her death after a lengthy cancer battle, those communities are remembering both what she accomplished and the personality behind those accomplishments.
For her husband, sons and loved ones, the loss is deeply personal. For former colleagues and longtime viewers, it is the loss of a familiar Vermont personality whose career became part of the state’s broadcasting history.
Shawna Lidsky was just days away from turning 51 when she died, but the impact of her five decades stretches through the many people, careers and communities she touched along the way.
May Shawna Lidsky rest peacefully. Forever remembered, never forgotten.
Disclaimer
This obituary is based on the information available at the time of publication. Details concerning Shawna Lidsky’s death, cancer diagnosis, personal biography, family and funeral or memorial arrangements should be confirmed through appropriate official or family sources. Information may be updated if additional verified details become available. This article is intended for general informational and memorial purposes and should not be treated as a substitute for an official obituary or statement from the family.