For Shawn

My name is Kim Detwiler and I want to tell you about my husband, Shawn. He was a son, husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. If you were lucky enough to get to meet him, you probably loved him. He was kind, funny, nerdy, and loyal. He loved deeply.

He was most proud of his two kids, Bryson (21) and Kylee (17), he protected them fiercely and cared for them with every bit of himself. He was especially proud of Bryson becoming independent and getting married to his love, Abi. He was so proud of Kylee and the beautiful young woman she has become. He loved being able to coach many of the sports teams that Bryson was on as a child and watching Kylee sing in the high school choir.

He loved Star Wars, Lego, building models, comic books, movies (especially sci-fi and horror), Disney, the ocean, dark beer, collecting toys (sorry, action figures!!) and metal music (if it was an obscure sub-genre like Pirate Metal, for example, he loved it even more!). His recent obsession with Dad Jokes was keeping his Facebook feed pretty funny, and was especially enjoyed by my Dad!

Shawn also loved his family, his Mom, Leisa, and Dad, Keith raised a good one! He was an only child, but was lucky enough to have a lot of cousins, he was especially close to two of them, Jason, who was his "brother" and Leanne, who was his "sister". They shared childhoods together and as they grew continued to share all the ups and downs of life. I know he especially loved going to concerts with both of them. There are so many other people to list that Shawn loved, the friends that we were lucky to call family...Kathryn (Aunt Kat), Amy and Dave, Kara and Justin, Lauren and Lynn. And since he was basically a kid trapped in a man's body, everyone's kids loved him too, especially when he shared his toys! If he loved you and I missed you on this list, I apologize...my mind is lost at the moment.

And then there's me. I am so lucky to have met Shawn. I remember the first time I saw him, he was so handsome and funny and sweet and I knew that he was the one. We were married on October 31, 2009. I have known him for 14 years, which wasn't nearly long enough. We had many plans and many places we still wanted too see together. Even if we had been together for 114 years, it would not have been enough. I was loved and he made sure I knew it every day.

I believe that true strength is knowing when you need to ask for help, and my family definitely needs some help now. Many of you know already that Shawn was hospitalized for almost three weeks before his passing, with three days of that in the ICU. We know that bill will be astounding and Shawn did not have life insurance. I would love to be able to pay for his expenses and give any extra money we raise to Bryson and Kylee so that they can use it towards their educations or living expenses going forward. No amount of money could help our hearts, the space he left for all of us will be a cavern and the pain will linger for the rest of my days.

So, please think of us and help if you can.

If you leave near the ocean, go there for Shawn. Listen to the water and feel the sand between your toes, and he will be there, most likely trying to talk to Poseidon or attempting to get bit by a shark (which for some reason was a goal of his!) If you go to Disney, go there for Shawn. Ride Rise of the Resistance and drink a blue milk for him. Drink a dark beer for him and have a shot of Jameson. Go to a concert and raise those metal horns high for him.