About Sean

Sean David Biggs (1976-2012)
 

Sean David Biggs was a great son, loving and devoted husband, caring and playful father, and a loyal brother and friend to all. We are deeply saddened that Sean is no longer here but his memories will ever be here in every fold of our minds. Thoughts about him will be with us at every turn we take.

Sean was born on January 27th, 1976 in Wichita, Kansas to James Dennis Biggs and Sheila Pyle Biggs. He grew up in Abilene, Kansas with his older sister Bridget Biggs and his younger brother Casey Biggs. At Abilene High School, he graduated at the top of his class and was a star athlete. He was on the state championship basketball team, quarterbacked the varsity football team, and excelled in track. While in high school, he developed his passion for the German language and spent some time in Germany over a summer.

He went on to attend University of Kansas, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. While at KU, he was the first engineering student to complete a study abroad program at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. He then moved to Boston where he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his Masters in Technology & Policy.

While in his first year at MIT, he met Neha Shah and they quickly fell in love. They discovered their common joys of spending time with friends & family, exploring Boston, travel, and appreciating the simple things in life. They would later be married on July 5, 2002. Still, to this day, people remember Neha & Sean's wedding as an amazing interweaving of two cultures and a night of unstoppable dancing.

In his continued zest for life, Sean ran his first of many Boston Marathons, passed the CFA exam, and Neha & Sean welcomed the arrival of their son Millan Shah Biggs all in the same year. Neha and Sean would later add a daughter to their family with the birth of Simran Malini Biggs a little over a year later. Sean's love for Neha was matched only by his amazing love for his children. He spent all his energy sharing his passions with his children – which included golfing, swimming, playing cards & board games, traveling, and spending as much time as possible outside. He also loved doing the everyday things for the kids – getting breakfast ready, reading bed time stories, watching movies, taking them to church, and teaching them to be thoughtful and caring people.

Though he spent so much time with his family, he still had many other accomplishments. He would go on to run six Boston Marathons with an astonishing sub-three hour finish. He played golf as often as he could and, as his friends will tell you, he rarely came out on the losing end of a round. He fulfilled his passion of traveling by spending time in South America, Europe, South East Asia, and visiting India with Neha and their children. He was able to bring his passion for the environment and clean energy to his work as a leading Energy Analyst with Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Late September of 2011, Sean was diagnosed with cancer. He fought cancer with the same amazing spirit that he lived his life. Many people asked, "Why Sean?" Sean responded simply, "Why anyone? Why NOT me?" While undergoing chemotherapy, Sean continued to live his life to the fullest. He continued to run as often as he could, played golf (in fact played a round of 18 just two weeks before his untimely death), vacationed with friends and family, and tried to maintain as normal a life as possible doing all the simple things in life that he enjoyed.

One of Sean's favorite quotes, by Mahatma Gandhi, epitomized how he lived his life "Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."