Shannon Kyle Brown Sibiski (or Mom/Mother/Mommy) is Kirby’s mother. One of Leroy’s Three Angels, she is widely regarded by her family as the heart of the Brown lineage. Kirby considers her the most important person in his life and has repeatedly described her as his “best friend” and “greatest source of love and inspiration.”
Background
Early Life
Shannon is the youngest daughter of Leroy “Jock” Brown and Jacqueline “Jackie” Winter Brown, and the youngest sister of Toni and Shawn. Her parents affectionately described her as a “happy accident.” Shortly after her birth, Leroy once accidentally pulled her arm out of its socket while playing, but no lasting damage was done.
Raised in Topton, Pennsylvania, Shannon attended Brandywine Heights Area School District. Popular at the school and into the emerging 80’s goth culture, she was disappointed in high school when her parents — famous for their parties — wouldn’t let her host one of her own.
After graduation, she attended Kutztown University as an English major but left just two semesters short of finishing after launching a successful freelance cleaning business. Always independent, she prioritized financial stability and social connection over the degree itself.
Motherhood
While still living in Kutztown, Shannon frequented Shorty’s Bar, where she met Gerald Jr. “Skip” Sibiski. The two fell in love and later had two sons: Kirby and, three years later, Beckham. Shannon often said that all she “ever really wanted was to be a mom.”
Over the years, Shannon managed a full schedule: cleaning houses during the week while running the home — cooking dinner, managing schedules, grocery shopping, doing laundry, handling taxes, and keeping everything afloat. Skip worked full-time and coached soccer on the side, but Shannon was the quiet backbone of the household. Kirby later said that “she made it look easy,” noting that she not only did everything but also shielded the family from how difficult it must have been.
When Kirby misbehaved or Shannon was upset, he would often clean the dining room as an act of apology and affection. The boys were never grounded, though Beckham once earned a soap bar in the mouth for cursing.
Kirby and his mother were inseparable throughout his childhood, and shared a deepening connection through shared music taste — from The Killers’ Hot Fuss to The Smiths. He would DJ and sing in the car wherever they went. They attended multiple concerts together, including Kirby’s first — White Lies at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
The last show they saw before he left for college was Echo & the Bunnymen at Union Transfer. Driving back toward Kutztown, as they turned down the hill toward home, Kirby felt the emotional weight of the moment — the quiet acknowledgment of change neither spoke aloud.
While Kirby’s communication was infrequent throughout college and he found emotional comfort in his girlfriend Kat, he still maintained a strong sense of connection to his mother. He knew she was there for him, whatever he needed.
Empty Nest
After years of caring for others, Shannon underwent weight loss surgery near the end of Kirby’s college years. Though Kirby was reportedly a bit nervous, she explained publicly that she did it to live longer and be present for her family — to have more time with her kids and, hopefully, grandkids.
After college, Kirby returned home to live with Shannon and Skip at Highland Ave in Kutztown. Kirby, at the start of his Wasted Potential years, was emotionally disconnected from everything.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and Kirby’s TINAL era, Shannon and Skip divorced. The decision shocked the family; all three Sibiski men initially protested. Already unsteady in his own relationship with Maya, Kirby struggled to process it. Later, Kirby came to see his mother’s action as the peak example of courage: leaving everything you know and making a leap of faith despite it potentially causing short-term confusion to those you love, because you know deep down everyone needs to change.
Today
Kirby would live with Shannon, Josh, and Leroy until August 2022, when he moved to North Philadelphia. Shannon moved out the next month, renting a studio apartment in Kutztown. Josh had already moved out months earlier.
Leroy moved into the nursing home shortly after Shannon moved out, where he died his first night there. Shannon broke the news to Kirby over the phone the next day. He and his brother returned to Kutztown for the funeral, where they stayed in Shannon’s apartment.
Kirby would make infrequent trips back to Kutztown over the next year or so while living in Philadelphia. After a break-up with Anneke in October 2023, Kirby’s mom picked him up at Glenside Station, where Anneke drove him to meet her.
Now living with Micheal Dittess, Shannon let Kirby stay in their new Kutztown apartment until Spring 2024. During this time, Kirby traveled to Los Angeles for a month. When he returned, Shannon and Michael had adopted a puppy named Mookie. She was reportedly found abandoned on the side of the road in a milk crate. Kirby returns home often to see them, noting that “Mookie is my favorite being in this world.”
Influence on Kirby
Kirby once said, “To love me is to love my mother.” Shannon shaped his sensibility, humor, and artistic temperament as deeply as his moral core. She introduced him to most of the music that defined his adolescence — The Killers, White Lies, The Smiths, and Morrissey, whom they saw live together in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Kirby has been described as his mother’s son — physically resembling her more than his father, and temperamentally inheriting her empathy and self-awareness. She was usually the one who drove him to soccer practices, school events, and long-distance trips.
Even after moving, he continues to return to Kutztown often, describing it as “home” and admitting, “I can’t imagine a life without my mother in it.”