Life Reflection

Mike Shadowsky “Shadow Sky” was born Moshe Shadowsky in Jaffa Israel. He changed his name to Mike Shadowsky when he became a citizen of the USA. His father was Leon Beaumont from Leningrad Russia, but after the war Leon changed his name to Leon Shadowsky, and his mother was Nessia Alperovitz from Vilna Poland. Both parents were Holocaust survivors. After the war they met in Marseille France in a camp that took in refugees. They married after their rescue at the end of the war.

Leon and Nessia Shadowsky moved to Russia sometime during Mike’s early grade school years, and it was there that his sister Luba Shadowsky was born, (She later changed her name to Shira Orion.) Mike told of the hard times there. He would often stand in line for bread sometimes for hours and sometimes for entire days.

The family moved back to Israel sometime later, and Mike served in the Israeli army for three years, from age 18-21. (It is a requirement to serve in the Israeli services for every male.) It was through the Isreali Army that he learned refrigeration tech.

As a teenager, Mike, as most teenagers, became enthralled with the Beatles. He soon taught himself to play the guitar and continued to play. At the age of 21 he came on a visa to Hollywood, CA. USA. It took him quite a long time to become a citizen of the United States, but in the meantime, he worked and played his guitars.

Mike became quite an accomplished musician, and along the way became known as Shadow Sky. He loved music, but especially rock and roll. He watched and learned from some of the best guitarists of all times: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck just to name a few. Shadow Sky won the LA Music Awards in 2005.

Mike and Lydia were neighbors in LA, became good friends in 2003, and started dating in 2004. As the saying goes, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Lydia with the baby carriage. Cameron was born in 2008, and his middle name is Sky. We moved back to Missouri when Cameron was 2-1/2 to be closer to family.

Mike and Cameron spent hours on end at the park and the local library. Mike was studying quantum physics, (again, self-taught) and had begun writing a book. He taught Cameron all about the universe, the galaxies, black holes, the planets, and the stars. They were nearly inseparable and grew incredibly close over the years. Cameron has always called Mike “Papa”.

Then in June of 2020, Mike suffered a stroke. This affected his left side but seemingly did not affect his brain. Then in September he had another stroke and that further affected his left side and affected his memory and mental function. For the last years of his life Mike led a simple lifestyle with his wife and son, enjoying every moment he shared with them.