Herbert Alan Tennant, aka “Shag”, aged 80, passed peacefully September 20, 2022, at the Vitas inpatient facility in Rockledge, Florida. The oldest child of Herbert and Patricia of Michigan. He was predeceased by both parents, his sister, and two brothers. He is survived by his wife, Darin; and two sons, Zackary of Mount Dora, and Christopher of Cocoa.

Shag was truly a self-made man. Born on a Friday, May 1, 1942, he was the oldest child. His first priority was always to take care of his family, they were everything to him. At 18, he joined the Army and was stationed in France for 3 years. In his off-time he instructed at a local orphanage teaching the children how to play games, while they taught him conversational French. He also learned the art of leather tooling. Two days before Kennedy was shot, he separated from the Army and returned to the Detroit area. At 25, he decided he’d had enough of the cold of Detroit and decided to move to Florida.

At a local party in Florida he met his true love, Darin Newmyer. After they got married, he decided to get his teaching degree. He attended Florida Technical University (now the University of Central Florida) and obtained his Bachelors of Arts in Education. They timed his graduation to coincide with the birth of their second child. However, the 70’s was a tough time to be a teacher, and he was unable to obtain a full time position teaching, so he used his leather-crafting skills to support his family while working the occasional substitute teaching position. For a time he ran a Leather shop in Threadneedle Mall in Cocoa Village.

His love of designing and building things led him to create his own company which he named Habitat Modifications by Shag (long before Jimmy Carter had the idea for his charity). For years he worked many remodeling jobs until he landed a contractor position with the USPS servicing over 33 counties, which he held for over 30 years. When he retired from working, he left this company to his son, and eldest grandson.

Shag loved to travel, both the United States and abroad. Traveling both as a traditional tourist, and a working tourist; assisting with archaeological digs to pay his way. He made numerous trips through Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, and many of the US states.

He also had two grandchildren, Zackary and Samantha Tennant.