Shea Whiting was born on January 8, 1978, to Shivers "Bo" and Everline "Lena" Fomby Whiting III. He was lovingly raised by his parents and surrounded by the nurturing presence of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. At an early age, Shea accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized at Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Later, with his family, he became a member of Windsor Village Methodist Church.

His parents introduced him to organized sports at an early age, and he worked hard to develop into a talented athlete. Shea attended public school in the Alief Independent School District. During his 8th grade year at Holub Middle School, Shea was recognized as Athlete of the Year. At Elsik High School, Shea was a two-sport varsity player: football and basketball - with football being his favorite. During his freshman year, a major injury left him unable to continue playing football, so he shifted his focus to basketball.

In 1997, his senior year, Shea was again named to the All-Greater Houston City Basketball Team, All-District, Nike All-American, McDonald's All-American, and was selected as Captain and MVP of his basketball team. He was ranked number two among top players in Texas. Equally impressive, Shea scored 700 on the Math section of the SAT, placing him in the 92nd percentile, scoring higher than 92% of other test-takers.

Shea received a basketball scholarship to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL), now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he majored in Criminal Justice. The team was twice Sunbelt Conference Champions while Shea played there, with one of the highlights being when the team won conference and tournament titles and was invited to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Shea had great coaches and teammates who became friends. Although he received opportunities to play basketball in Greece and with the Harlem Globetrotters, he sustained a debilitating injury to his wrist and hand, which caused him to step away from basketball.

Lena was Shea's hero and anchor; they had a tremendously strong bond. Growing up, he could often be found sitting around the kitchen table, listening to his mom as she poured the love of God, faith, love of family, guidance, and principles into him. All while enjoying Blue Bell Ice Cream and later watching episodes of Golden Girls.

Shea had an infectious smile and laugh and was loved by many. He had a kind and easy-going spirit, always willing to help and give. He was humble and was always surprised when people over the years would stop him to talk about what a talented player he had been.

Shea enjoyed cooking and barbecuing, giving credit to Uncle Big Bear and Uncle Mike. He loved sports, with watching football being his favorite. At times, he would play a little pick-up basketball, light-heartedly saying how he had to "school" the other players. Shea enjoyed reading Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels. He loved his family, and most importantly, his children. Whether you knew him for a long time or were a new acquaintance, he was going to talk to you about his kids. At the end of each conversation, Shea would always say, "I love you," explaining that he never wanted anyone to leave without knowing how much he loved them.

Shea is preceded in death by his parents Shivers "Bo" and Everline "Lena" Whiting III; his grandparents Shivers and Walterine Whiting Sr.; Felee and Earline Lewis Fomby; aunts Jacquelyn Fomby Archie and Justina Fomby; uncles Lonnie Ray Fomby Sr., Lonnie Davis Sr., Christopher Whiting, and Myron Whiting; niece Alexis Whiting; and special grand aunt Merdis Gordon.

He is survived by his son Shea Whiting Jr.; daughters Nya Henry and Nashaylynn Whiting; granddaughters Emma Whiting and Sevyn Whiting; grandson Khaza Hunter; brother Shivers "Quad" Whiting IV; uncles Michael Whiting and Michael Archie; aunts Catherine Fomby, Cynthia Davis, Betty Andrews, and Christal "Patches" Daniels; nieces Serena Whiting and Mia Whiting; cousins Kesha Fomby, Sonya Fomby, Sharalyn Singleton, Lonnie R. Fomby Jr., Matthew Archie, Joshua Archie, Reginald Fomby, Lonnie Davis Jr., and Andre Andrews; his high school/college sweetheart and longtime friend Rene Duncan; and a host of other relatives and friends.