He was a man who enjoyed the simple things in life…his wife, Sara, by his side, his son, Colt, in his arms, a place with his family by the fire, time spent at Mohican, or a quiet place in the woods. To Shawn that was a simple wonderful life.
Shawn J. Kehrwecker, age 36, of Mount Gilead, died unexpectedly Friday afternoon, September 3, 2010, at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus after a 3 week battle with Pancreatitis.
On December 5, 1973, Shawn was born at the Morrow County Hospital, the son of Gary and Terri (Rizor) Kehrwecker of Mount Gilead.
Shawn attended Mount Gilead Schools where he excelled on the football field in both junior high and high school. He also participated in track where he threw the shot put and discus. In the spring of 1992 he graduated from Mount Gilead High School and that summer, after a thorough job hunt, with no luck, he enlisted in the United States Army.
His service included 4 years of active duty and 6 years in the reserves. His hopes were to find his way into construction but the Army had other ideas and while stationed at Fort Hayes in Columbus, they trained him as an M.P.
As his time as a Reservist came to an end, Shawn found himself a place in Mount Gilead at the ODOT garage. There he was trained as a highway tech and became a part of the “Road Warriors”. One of his main, but least favorite jobs was snow plowing.
It was also at the ODOT garage in Mount Gilead that Shawn’s life took an unexpected and happy turn. In the summer of 2006, a young woman by the name of Sara Gruber was hired to work at the garage as summer help before she returning for college in the fall. Shawn and Sara developed a friendship and eventually began dating. She left for the University of Toledo and they continued their long distance relationship. She graduated from UT in 2008 and Shawn proposed that Christmas. They were married on August 29, 2009 at Mohican State Park at the Gorge Overlook; their favorite spot.
Their honeymoon took them through Pittsburgh, which involved a stop at Heinz Field and a tour of the stadium where his favorite NFL team the Steelers play, then on to Maine. While in Maine they spent time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. His mother recalled a phone call she received from Shawn. He wanted her to guess what he was doing. He was eating his first lobster.
Not long after their honeymoon they were celebrating again. On June 2, 2010 they welcomed their baby boy, Colt Jason into the world. Shawn loved him more than anything and the sight of his son made him so happy.
Sundays were he and Sara’s day. They would go for a drive to Mohican or to Amish Country. Mohican State Park was their place to get away from it all. They enjoyed canoeing, walks, and would even take Dad’s jeep there for a ride which would inevitably lead to their favorite road in the park. And you can’t forget about the Gorge overlook where it all began. Shawn loved that part of the state and the beautiful countryside.
His love of the outdoors did not end with Mohican. Shawn could be found riding his four wheeler on his property where he also enjoyed hunting. He was skilled with shotgun and bow and would hunt deer, turkey, and geese. To Shawn it was more than hunting; it was spending time outside with nature, maybe helping him wind down after a tough day or starting his day right early in the morning. He could also be found cutting wood to heat their house, relaxing by the campfire, or hunting morel mushrooms. It was his goal every season to find the first mushroom before his mom.
He was a member of the V.F.W. Post # 8054 and one could not talk about Shawn without mentioning his love for The Ohio State Buckeyes.
Shawn will be remembered, as his dad put it, “The best friend anybody could have”. If you call and needed something, Shawn could not get there fast enough. As many of you know, once you became a friend of Shawn’s you were always a friend.
Sara will remember Shawn’s stubborn nature and the fact that he was always right and knew pretty much everything. At least that is what he was always telling her and the rest of the family in his playful manner.
Shawn loved to argue and would typically get the last word in, even while asking his mother, “Why do always have to get the last word in?” Most people knew to argue with Shawn was a losing battle.
In addition to his wife, Sara; son, Colt; and parents: Gary and Terri; he will be missed by his sisters, their spouses, and their sons: Lori and Bill Walters, and their son, Gage, of Chesterville, and Mandy and David Doucoure, and their son, Sam, of Mount Gilead; his mother and father-in-law: Doug and Michele Gruber of Edison; and his brother-in-law, Scott Gruber, and his fiancé, Abigail Brown, of Columbus; their Airedale Terrier, Zoe; and his aunt, uncles, cousins, and many, many friends.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents: George and Mary Kehrwecker; and maternal grandparents: Chester and Mary Ann Rizor.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 3:00 PM at his home, 6156 County Road 76, Mount Gilead with Pastor Paul Service officiating. Burial with full military honors provided by the V.F.W. Post #8054 and AmVets Post #87 will follow in Glendale Cemetery. Friends may visit and share stories with the family from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, also there at the house. Those attending are asked to bring a lawn chair for the service and dress comfortably because that's the way Shawn would want it.
Sara asked that memorial contributions be sent to Farmers Citizens Bank, 123 East Main Street, Cardington, Ohio 43315, where an account has been set up for Colt.
For those wishing to express their private condolences to Shawn’s family, you may do so by visiting www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.
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