Shawn William Edele

Shawn William Edele was quiet man with a huge heart. Though he was reserved, he was always looking out for the happiness and well-being of others. In some ways, his family considered him too nice for the harshness of today's world. Yet Shawn was robust in his love of the outdoors and in his eagerness to work with computers. He was skilled, thoughtful, and peaceable toward all of life. Shawn was born to Kenton and Caitlyn (Tenney) Edele of Brunswick, Maine. Kenton had been stationed at the Brunswick Naval Station when he met and married Caitlyn in December of 1974, a few months after she graduated from high school. As if eager to get going with life, baby Shawn was born two and a half months early on February 22, 1976. But he weighed over 5 pounds, was out of the incubator the next day, and went home as normal. Shawn was a sweet little baby. His mom remembers how much he loved his trucks and Legos, so much so that he often fell asleep on the floor beside them. Once asleep, Shawn didn't like waking up, so his mother had to pick him up and rock and rock him until he was alert enough to get going. Before Shawn turned two, the family was on their way to the coast of California where his dad was to be stationed in Port Hueneme. They spent Shawn's second birthday in a hotel room along the way. Two months after they were settled, Shawn's sister Laura was born. California was a great place for the kids. They loved going for long walks with mom along the beach on days filled with sunshine. The Edele family was moved to Illinois for a short time, but a significant event there demonstrated how much Shawn loved and cared for his little sister. His dad remembers how protective Shawn was of Laura. When a terrible tornado came within a half mile of their home, Laura was very scared. But it was only her soon-to-be four year old brother who could comfort her. Shawn held her, and she was okay. With their father's reassignment to Louisiana, the family made a move that was to be more permanent. However, when Kenton and Caitlyn's marriage dissolved, she and the kids moved back to Maine to be near her family. Shawn attended grade school in Portland and enjoyed a fairly typical boyhood, playing in the woods or on the soccer field. Because Shawn and Laura were so close, she became a tomboy as a result. "I was his little brother," Laura says. Shawn and Laura were also very close to their mom's family, who were deeply involved in groups that celebrated their Irish and Scottish heritage. On weekends, they often went to Ceili Dances (Irish Country Dances) or Scottish Highland Games. The family also was part of an Irish band that played in old folks' homes and many other places that enjoyed the music of drum and fife. Shawn's grandfather was very musical and taught him how to play several different instruments. Later on, Shawn used his skills in high school, where he played clarinet in the band. When Shawn was ten years old, he had an experience most school children seldom get. He spent a year in Italy going to school where his dad was stationed. It was a time of great opportunity and adventure for a young boy. Shawn's dad put it this way, "Take him to the mountains, he'd head off. Take him to the beach, he'd head off. The kid just loved to explore." Shawn's love of nature and discovery didn't stop when he returned to Maine. His mom home-schooled him during his middle school years, because neither Shawn nor Laura were being allowed to study at the level they needed to study. So, the order of day was often field trips, literally into the fields and woods around them. What better place than Maine to take advantage of the great outdoors. An especially fond memory Shawn's mother has of that time was when she and Shawn were in the woods, and they came upon a mother deer and her fawn. For 45 minutes they hid behind a tree as they watched the deer and her baby "talk" to each other. It was like watching her teach the fawn how to be a deer. Perhaps not surprisingly, Shawn became interested in science fiction, especially books where you could choose your own ending. He also really got into video games like Atari and Nintendo, which were getting big at that time. When he was high school aged, Shawn returned to the classroom and the social life of a teenager. He got along well with the girls and they liked him, but Shawn never pursued a serious relationship. One of the pictures from his prom says more than words can about Shawn's character. The photo shows him with TWO dates who might not have gone to the prom if it weren't for Shawn. He had a good heart. Though mostly quiet and shy, Shawn "spoke volumes" with his kindness. In 1994, Shawn's mother married Jerry Johnson and moved to Fruitport where Jerry had been offered a job. Between the two families, they had six kids and, when everyone was around, the house was full. Shawn stayed in Fruitport for that first summer, but then went to live with his dad in Monterey, California for his senior year of high school. While he was there, Jerry and Caitlyn settled on a farm just outside of Fruitport. That suited Shawn just fine. When he graduated, he decided to return to Fruitport rather than go on to college. So he went to work on the farm and got a supplemental job at Wesco. A highlight of his time at Wesco occurred during one of their promotions. Shawn was asked to dress-up like the children's TV character, Barney. When he saw one of his uncles, Shawn couldn't resist putting an arm around him and singing the Barney Song. The problem was, his uncle didn't know it was Shawn. So when Shawn started singing, "I love you, you love me" his uncle replied, "If you don't let go of me, I'm going to sock you..." Though Shawn hadn't gone to school in Fruitport, he became friends with one of the guys Laura was dating, and a whole group of them enjoyed camping, two tracking, or just hanging out together. In 1997, Shawn followed in his dad's steps and joined the military. But he soon discovered he wasn't suited to Navy life. This was a difficult time for Shawn. He missed a girl he had been dating for a few years, and he did not last in the military. Unfortunately, when he returned home, things didn't work out with his girlfriend Sarah either. Shawn took their breakup really hard. He then dated and briefly married in 1998. He became a father when son Christian was born in 1999. When Christian was 10 months old, Shawn and Christian's mother divorced, and Shawn received custody of his son. For a time, Shawn and Christian lived with Caitlyn and Jerry but then moved in with Shawn's friend, named George. After a time, Christian went to live with his mother, and Shawn joined George in his cable installation business for Comcast. Their team traveled all over the East Coast, from Pennsylvania to Texas, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida installing cable lines. They did a lot of work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Shawn loved it and the guys grew to be a sort-of family. The team had just arrived in Del Ray Beach, Florida when Shawn died. The crew had a meeting and went for dinner, after which some of the guys wanted to go for a swim in the ocean. When one of them got caught in a riptide, Shawn, who was watching from shore, dived in to help. But Shawn himself got caught in the riptide and could not be rescued. The other man survived but, tragically, Shawn lost his life to drowning. Shawn was just the kind of person who helped others out. His care and kindness will continue to be felt by all who knew him well and loved him dearly. Mr. Shawn W. Edele, age 31 of Fruitport, died suddenly on Thursday, May 31, 2007, while working in Del Ray Beach, FL. Surviving is his son, Christian Robert Edele; father, Kenton (Tessa) Edele of Charleston, SC; mother, Catilyn (Jerry) Johnson of Fruitport; 5 sisters, Laura Lynn (Shadi Khillah) Edele of Kalamazoo, Meghan Ruth Tenney of Fruitport, Natalie Marie Edele of Charleston, SC, Jennifer A. (Chris) Driscoll of Gray, ME, Karen (Mark) Wakem of Poland, ME; brother, Jerry E. Johnson III of Orono, ME; grandmothers, Donna Lois Tenney of Windham, ME, Betty Lou Starr of Olympia, WA. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, John Herman Beaulieu. A service to celebrate Shawn's life will be held on Thursday, June 7, 2007, 1:00 PM at First Congregational Church of Fruitport with Rev. David Hulings officiating. Interment at Fruitport Cemetery. Friends and relatives are invited to visit with the family on Wednesday, 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Fruitport. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Shawn W. Edele Memorial Fund c/o 5/3 Bank to benefit his son, Christian. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.