He was born September 30, 1974 to Dale and Melanie (Rhoads) Gravelle in Youngstown, OH. He married Kerry Butler December 13, 1997 in Bloomington, IL
He is survived by his wife Kerry, daughter Amanda, son Adam; his dad Dale (Sara) Gravelle of Minonk; two brothers Erik (Christina Vogel) Gravelle of Erie, PA, Kirk (Anna) Gravelle of Macclenny, FL; nieces and nephews Andy, Emily, Derrick Gravelle, Brianna, Christian, Evie Gravelle, many aunts, uncles, cousins, and best friend Dan Galvin.
He was preceded in death by his mother and maternal grandparents Gwen and Robert Rhoads.
Shawn worked as a Technology Director at State Farm, where his legacy will carry on through those whose lives he touched. He also dedicated time to serving as Treasurer and President of the Board of Directors at the McLean County Arts Center. He was a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He received his Masters degree in Enterprise Architecture from Penn State.
Although he left us much too soon, Shawn will always be remembered as the selfless, kind, supportive, witty smart-ass that he was. Whether at work or at home, he was surrounded by those he loved and who loved him. He spent much of his free time completing absurdly difficult puzzles, going to concerts with friends, and meticulously planning Disney trips (which he seemed to enjoy more than the trips themselves). Most of all, he treasured spending time with his wife and kids. What started as a blind date led to 27 years of crosswords, staring at the clouds, joking, laughing, cookie baking, hanging out, browsing Reddit, and proud parenting. An avid Cubs fan, he frequently took his family to see baseball games. He loved playing video games and programming with his son, quoting movies and songs, and pretending to let his daughter beat him at golf. His incredible skills in the kitchen were rivaled only by his ability to make people laugh, and his terrible jokes will be missed as much as his food.
We haven’t even scratched the surface of the lovable goofball that he was. “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” -Winnie the Pooh
The family would like to thank his nurses at St. Joseph Hospital, especially Holly and Rachael, and Tina from OSF Hospice for making his last days as comfortable as they could be.
Visitation will be Sunday, January 19, 2020 1:00-4:00 p.m. at East Lawn Funeral Home, Bloomington. Funeral service will begin at 4:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life will follow the funeral service at the McLean County Arts Center from 5:00- 7:00 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the McLean County Arts Center https://mcac.wildapricot.org/Donations or GoFundMe “Shawn Gravelle-College Funds for Amanda and Adam.”
Online condolences, memories and pictures may be left for the family at www.eastlawnmemorial.com.
