Shawn Kelly Hines

Shawn Kelly Hines, age 44, of Brainerd, died on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at Essentia – St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, MN. A service for Shawn will be held 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 25, 2021 at the Community Church of the Nazarene in Merrifield, officiated by Pastor Ron Christenson. Visitation will take place one hour before the service on Monday. Interment will be at Wildwood Cemetery in Pillager.

Shawn was born on January 8, 1977 to Delmer Hines and Carol (Eberly) Tolbert in Brainerd, MN. He attended Brainerd Senior High School. Shawn lived in Cullman, Alabama for 11 years. He was a huge New England Patriots fan. Shawn enjoyed hunting, demolition derby, and going to concerts. He was a big motorhead and loved working on cars and trucks; he was currently in the process of a 1956 Ford truck restoration.

Shawn is survived by his children, Vanessa and Mason; his mom, Carol; sisters, Missy and Andrea; niece and nephew, Ava and Layne; Aunt Kathy, Aunt Marlene, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Gordy; close friends, Mesha Thurman, and Mark Omtvedt; his best furry friends, Rocky, Bentley, and Chumlee; and many other extended family members and friends who loved him dearly. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Courtney “Baby C”; his father, Delmer; grandparents, Caroline White, Kelly Eberly, and Ida and Vic Hines; and Uncle Sonny.

The family would prefer memorials in Shawn's name to be donated to the GoFundMe fundraiser in his name.

In the words of his loving daughter, Vanessa:

"Shawn Hines was a one of a kind man that was a lot of things to a lot of people.  He was that one person that would always have your back and be there for you to help or cheer you up no matter what.  There is just not enough words in the world to describe how great of a person he was. 
He enjoyed living life to the fullest and refused to let his health hold him back.  He loved football( #1 New England Patriots Fan),  hunting, fishing, was one hell of a demolition derby driver, traveling, music, going to Rock music festivals(especially Rockfest, Cadott,WI) and most of all, spending time with his kids, family and friends.  He was a major fan of Rob Zombie and RHCP. 
Shawn has 3 children, Vanessa, Mason and Courtney(who passed away in 2002).  We were his pride and joy, as he was ours. He worked and fought so hard to provide for us and give us everything he could. He was the best father we could ever ask for and we would’ve done absolutely anything for him.  He was our hero.

Unfortunately, life dealt him a rotten hand where his health was concerned. From losing his hearing, to kidney failure and everything in between. He was able to get a cochlear implant to help with his hearing, and after 7 long years of dialysis & driving back and forth across the country for various tests and appointments, was  finally able to receive a new kidney from a heroic family friend. He even survived being legally dead for three minutes just before open heart surgery. He bravely fought through everything life threw at him for his family’s sake, but even new kidneys have a shelf life. A little over 2 years ago, he started to lose the function of it and had to be put back on dialysis. Again began the endless trips to the hospitals and the search for a new donor. Covid-19 only had the effect of further slowing down an already slow process. At last, just a few months ago, a suitable donor was found, and the tests to complete the process began. His health was starting to deteriorate fast however, and time was running short.

On New Years Eve, he went in to the hospital in Brainerd due to a very swollen abdomen. A routine Covid test came back positive. Even though he had no symptoms, they said they had to isolate him until surgery could be done. They had no beds, so they transferred him to the Saint Cloud hospital’s Covid wing. After a few days of treatment for fluid build up, they released him. The next day, however, he woke up coughing up blood and was sent by ambulance to Saint Mary’s hospital in Duluth, where he was eventually put into the Covid ICU.

On the morning of Thursday, January 14, we got the call that no family ever wants to get. His lungs had been damaged beyond repair, and there was nothing more they could do for him. My life literally shattered before my eyes. I couldn’t accept or even understand the thought of living life without my dad. It just didn’t make sense. We raced to the hospital in Duluth, but he was slipping away fast and unable to respond. We had to say our tearful goodbyes without him ever waking up. This was by far the hardest day of my life. 

At 6:14 PM that evening, his heart gave out for the last time. My dad, who I thought could survive anything, was gone forever. No words written here could express how I felt in that moment or the pain I continue to feel. The only thing left was to make sure he got the send-off that a guy that meant so much to so many people deserved.

If you could help out in any way, my family would forever appreciate it. Let’s make sure my hero, my rock, my dad, Shawn Hines, gets what he deserves in death, that life never gave him."

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shawn Kelly Hines, please visit our floral store.