Shontaves "Luh Shonnie" Thomas was born to Nancy Nixon and Shon Thomas on June 12, 2001, in Belleville, IL. She received her education throughout District 189 and graduated from East St. Louis Senior High. There, she fell in love with sports. She played volleyball and softball. She continued her education at Lincoln University (Jefferson, MO.) where she went to study Sports Physical Therapy. While there, she joined a dance group known as "Party Girls" also known as PG". However, she returned home and started selling clothing and practicing braiding hair. She ended up perfecting her craft and was later known as "The Braid Slayer". Even though she was busy braiding hair, she still wanted to return to her first love sports. Before her untimely death, she was helping at East Side and Clark Middle School assisting the coaches with Volleyball and Softball. She just recently enrolled at SWIC to start school for CAN in January 2024.

Shontaves was the life of the party wherever she went. Her favorite line was "Shot-O-Clock!!" Shonnie loved to hang around family, travel, girls' night, and SHOPPING. Shontaves' smile lit up any room she walked in. She was always smiling and loved making those around her smile, even if they were having a bad day.

Shontaves' life was tragically taken on December 30, 2023. She was preceded in death by her maternal great-grandmother, Kay Francis Wicks; brother, Dezmonn Nixon; her paternal great-grandmother, Josethine Thomas; paternal granfather, Isom McCaleb; and aunt, Shasta Thomas.

She leaves to cherish her memories; her parents, Nancy Nixon and Shon Thomas; her sister, Deborah (Carlos) Nixon; her niece, Tierra Nixon; nephews, Dezmonn Nixon Jr. and Vonterion Gordon; her maternal grandparents, Deborah Nixon and Gerald Copeland; her paternal grandmother, Antionete Thomas; aunts, Rheishia (Aaron) Farmer, Fayette Johnson, Deidre Copeland, Lacquita Nixon, Natasha McCaleb, Teresa James, Sherry Thomas, and Candie (Orlando) Lang; her uncles, Todd (Russia) Copeland, Damon Thomas, Tony Thomas, Ricky Thomas, and Joey Thomas; her favorite cousins, Donteaus Lee, Sanchez Wicks, Jaida Johnson, Tajanae Thomas, Tony Thomas Jr., and Lil Brandon. Her Markevion Winford, Montel Harkins, and Rico Hampton, and a host of other family and friends.