Shawn Boudreau Obituary

...For nearly seven decades, Shawn Philip Boudreau, of Flushing, lived a life rich with adventure and marked by generosity, curiosity and good humor. Sadly, Shawn passed away Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Gainesville, Florida, from injuries suffered in a bicycle accident. He was surrounded by his immediate family, relatives and loved ones when he left us at age 69.
Shawn and his wife of 39 years, Cheryl, met at Eastern Michigan University in 1977, and she remembers falling for him when they hopped a railroad boxcar for a luxurious two-day trip from East Glacier Park, Montana, to Minneapolis. "He was up for anything," she remembers. That wanderlust took them in later life from France to Finland, Austria to India, and many places in between. They had a trip planned to South America in just a few weeks.
Over the years, Shawn worked on a poultry farm, at a prison, as a truck driver, and eventually in the U.S. Navy, serving for 20 years as a Farsi linguist and intelligence analyst. He later earned a master's degree in strategic intelligence. His Navy career kept the family on the move, from the Washington, D.C. area to Bahrain, England and Germany. He also served three tours in Afghanistan. Even more memorable than Shawn's peripatetic lifestyle was his dedication to and love for Cheryl and their children, Claire and Connor. He was a role model and occasional (albeit reluctant) disciplinarian, but also a good friend. "He was always there for them," Cheryl recalls.
Shawn had eclectic interests. He collected everything from cars to condos, and garage-sale gadgets to soy sauce. He enjoyed dogs, identifying bird calls with his Merlin bird app, gardening, and trivia (especially geography questions). He leaves behind a few unfinished projects. Like that broken bi-fold door in the upstairs bedroom and the loose board on the back deck.
Shawn was born in Flint, Michigan, to Louis and Dorothy (Kearney) Boudreau. He is survived by his loving wife, Cheryl (Rowland); children, Claire (Maggie) and Connor (Sarah); siblings, Michael (Janet) Boudreau; Patrick Boudreau; Brian Boudreau; Timothy (Jeannie) Boudreau; Katie (Dean Bedford) Boudreau; Matthew (Dawn) Boudreau; Rita (Michael Theodore) Boudreau; and Joseph (Patty) Boudreau; and friends, Mary Boudreau and Noreen Boudreau as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins. His parents preceded him in death, as did his niece, Caitlin; nephew, Ryan; and his sister, Suzie Carol and her husband, Jim.
Visitation is 2 - 8 p.m., Friday, November 8, at Rossell Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is 11 a.m., Saturday, November 9, at St. Robert's Church in Flushing, followed by a luncheon at Flushing Country Club, 1124 East Main Street.
Shawn was an organ donor, giving others a chance to enjoy life as much as he did. In lieu of flowers, he would love it if you donated to the Genesee County Humane Society.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shawn, please visit our floral store.