Shawn Patrick Cheyne

The world will dearly miss the smiling, cheerful, and big heart of Shawn Cheyne. He lived his life boldly and was forever dedicated to his family. His ability to laugh loudly and with great enthusiasm along with his willingness to help anyone in need will be dearly missed. It is hard to say goodbye so unexpectedly to such a good soul.

The 80's decade began with huge discoveries and technological advances that would forever change the modern life. The United States was awe struck with the first flight of Space Shuttle Columbia enabling two astronauts to enter space and return safely with a spacecraft, and their mission was successful because the craft could be used again. On land, Ronald Reagan became the president, and the highly anticipated wedding between Lady Diana Spencer and Charles the Prince of Wales was celebrated. In water, researchers found the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean providing answers to many questions. The year of 1981 marked the first moment the word 'Internet' became a part of the common vocabulary, but it was not fully understood by the world - yet. Closer to home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dean Rayfield Cheyne and Theresa Lynn Possett were anxiously awaiting the birth of their third and last baby. On March 30, 1981, they welcomed their precious son, Shawn Patrick. Big brothers, Anthony and Adam, began anxiously waiting for their new little brother to join in the existing boyhood fun.

Their parents worked hard to provide a good life for the boys. Shawn's father was a great role model and worked diligently as a tile setter and carpenter. Likewise, his mother stayed home to make sure their lives were organized and sometimes worked for Gordon Foods. Shawn always held a soft spot in his heart for his mother, and even as an adult, he would call her often. The three boys shared many adventures and collected their share of dirt throughout their childhood; many memories were created and can now be fondly cherished. Some of those memories include family vacations to Florida, Cooperstown, Ohio, Washington D.C., Arizona, and many great camping trips were spent at Silver Lake.

When Shawn started school, he attended Pinetree St. Elementary followed by Pinewood Middle School. As he matured into a teenager, he spent many days inside the walls of Jenison High School. When he was not in the classroom, however, he was involved in many extracurricular activities. He played baseball and football in addition to competing on the wrestling team. As he developed into a young adult, he had a definite passion for life, as he lived it with jubilance and enjoyed his friends with great energy. He graduated with the class of 1999.

Upon earning his diploma, he went to work with his dad while also holding down several other jobs along the way. In addition, he enrolled at Grand Valley State University for a year, but eventually, life pointed him in a different direction. Shawn was given the gift of becoming a father when he welcomed his sweet daughter, Emerson, into the world on February 18, 2010. She opened Shawn's heart and mind to a whole new way of viewing the world with a precious little girl in his life.

As time continued to move along, Shawn was given another gift of love, but this time it was in the form of a soulmate. He happened to be enjoying a visit at Duke's Lounge on Michigan Avenue when his waitress initiated a spark of love. Kelly Shelton captured Shawn's heart and kept it close from that point on. The two began dating and naturally fell deeply in love with one another. The two made a commitment to love one another and soon found that they would also become partners in the adventures of parenthood as well. The long anticipation of their sweet baby's arrival was finally concluded on March 28, 2013, when Bennett was born. A few years later, they welcomed Lennon on April 5, 2016.

Shawn was the best kind of dad - he was one who loved to play outside with the kids. He was also a very loving uncle to all of his nieces and nephews. All of the kids appreciated his unapologetic desire to eat sweets! His sweet tooth craved just about anything, but he really delighted his taste buds with cake - and he would always go for the corner piece with the most amount of frosting. He enjoyed cake so much that he would often ask his mother to make him an 'unbirthday cake' - a notable reference to "Alice in Wonderland." Sweets were not his only food preference; in fact, he actually just loved to eat. He was particularly fond of wet burritos, and he loved to put ketchup on just about everything. When he was not cheering for his favorite teams, he spent hours watching movies and listening to music. He loved Superman and owned about a thousand CDs. His tastes ranged from rap and country to classic rock and oldies, and he was willing to listen to just about anything in between. In fact, he and his brother, Adam, attended many concerts together over the years.

When he was not working to be an amazing father to his kids, he had many other activities to keep him busy. He was an avid sports fanatic; he was a big New York Yankees fan and loved Mickey Mantle. He also cheered for Michigan, especially during the football season. He traveled to the Big House on several memorable occasions.

Aside from what kept him busy in his free time, he worked as a lawn technician for True Green Lawns for the last 4 years. He was always a dedicated and hard worker - two qualities which he took from his father. He kept these qualities fresh in his mind, as a tribute to his father's memory. In October of 2002, Shawn faced a difficult time when his father died of lung cancer. He looked to his loved ones to help him endure the pain he felt from such a great loss in his life, and though he found the goodness in life again, he never fully recovered from losing his dad.

We will remember Shawn's abounding love for all of his friends and family. He was determined to try and make everyone happy. His million dollar smile and ability to make friends easily was indebted to his warm and friendly demeanor; he made everyone he met feel like he was their genuine best friend (and truly he just might have felt that way because of his ability to love so largely). We will also always picture Shawn dressed neatly, as he took great strides to make sure his appearance was always 'just so' - even going to such great strides as ironing his clothes! It is possible to imagine him knocking on the doors of heaven, looking crisp, while explaining his love for everyone in his life - even sharing that he handed out small copies of the New Testament to anyone who might have wanted one hoping to bring more people to know the Lord. His faith was surely deep.

Sadly, we are forced to endure the loss of such an amazing spirit. Shawn suffered from depression, and life had become quite difficult for him. He unexpectedly passed away on Saturday, July 29, 2017. We will keep the memories we shared with Shawn close to our hearts, and he will never be forgotten.

Shawn Patrick Cheyne, aged 36, of Grand Rapids, went to be with his Lord on Saturday, July 29, 2017. Shawn was a person who lived life boldly. He always smiled and loved his family and friends deeply. He was preceded in death by his father, Dean Cheyne. He leaves behind his loving partner and soul mate, Kelly Shelton; his children, Emerson, Bennett and Lennon Cheyne; his mother, Theresa Cheyne (Robert VanWyck) , his brothers, Anthony (Glenda) Cheyne, Adam (Holli) Cheyne; his mother in-law, Christine (Doug Aleski) Ryan, father-in-law, John (Patricia) Shelton II; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, many aunts, uncles, cousins nieces, nephews and many friends. Shawn worked for True Green Lawn Service. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. A service to celebrate Shawn’s life will be held on Friday, Aug. 4th at 1:30 PM at Resurrection Life Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave SW, Grandville, MI. Visitation at the church Friday from 12:30 until the service begins at 1:30. Relatives and friends may meet his family at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW on Thursday, Aug. 3rd, from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in his memory to the Shawn P. Cheyne Trust fund for the care of his children. To read more about Shawn’s life, to sign his guest book and to leave your own memory of him, visit his web page at www.lifestorynet.com