Shawn W. Peterson

Shawn W. Peterson, 47, of Robinson, IL, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson. He was born on August 2, 1978, in Vincennes, IN, and grew up in Robinson, where his lifelong love for music began. As a boy, Shawn was rarely without a guitar in his hands (even if it was just a plastic toy). Every Halloween, he was a rock star in full costume: punk hair, leather jacket, the works. School mornings, on the other hand, were his nemesis, as getting him out of bed felt like it required an act of Congress. That same stubborn streak carried into adulthood, but so did his strength and resilience. Shawn worked in insulation and scaffolding at refineries across the region, spent a stretch at Hershey, and eventually landed at EH Baare, where he worked the paint line.

When the workday ended, music called him home. It was his passion, his refuge, his joy. He filled every room (and often the whole neighborhood) with sound, wiring thirteen speakers throughout the house so he could turn it up loud. And no matter the kind of car he drove, the first thing he did was install a new sound system. Music was how Shawn expressed himself, how he connected, and how he lived. But Shawn wasn’t only about the music. He loved fishing, telling tall tales that grew with every retelling, and shooting darts (even if his aim could be hit or miss). He was sharp at the pool table, though, and anyone who played against him knew it.

But the center of Shawn’s world was never a hobby or a job. It was people. He was kind, generous, and always ready to look out for someone else. If you needed the shirt off his back, he would hand it over. If you needed prayer, he was the first one to bow his head, even praying daily for his sister through her struggles. He carried a fierce love for his family, and you could feel it in the way he listened, the way he laughed, and the way he showed up.

Nothing revealed that love more than his role as a dad. For his daughter Chloe, he built a wonderland in the backyard—pool, swing set, trampoline—because he wanted her to have joy just outside her door. For both Brennon and Chloe, he was deeply involved, always paying attention, always talking about them, always proud. His children were not just part of his life. They were the very heart of it.

Shawn is survived by his son, Brennon Jaice Peterson; his daughter, Chloe Allison Peterson; his sister & brother-in-law, Angela & Jeremiah Hanson; his brother, Ronnie Peterson; several nieces and nephews; and his grandmother, Ruth T. Reynolds. He was preceded in death by his father, Wayne Peterson; his mother & step-father, Carol (Reynolds) and Philip Clark; and by his brothers, Todd Peterson and Rex Peterson.

Shawn is to be cremated, and the Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson is assisting the family with these arrangements. A family-guided celebration of life will be held from 2:00–4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 27th, at Highland Church of Christ in Robinson.