Shawn Evans-Hawkins

Shawn Evans Hawkins, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, died unexpectedly at her home on Sunday, October 1. She was 49.

A 5th generation Jackson Hole native, Shawn was the first child and only daughter of Sherry and Monty Evans. She was raised on her family’s ranch on Hog Island. Shawn was a fun-loving kid who enjoyed the ranching lifestyle. She loved riding horses, helping out on branding day and driving the cattle herd to their summer range. Shawn especially loved and cherished the time she got to spend with her Grandmother Vada. Vada was a very special person and influence on Shawn.

Shawn was known by everyone as a notorious practical jokester and always being a kid at heart. She was a very intelligent and calculating kid who would save her firecrackers knowing that her younger brother’s lack of restraint would yield a great business opportunity to sell hers at a premium once they were done trying to blow up the world (a true CPA in the making).

She graduated in the top of her class from Jackson Hole High School in 1986, where she excelled at volleyball, basketball and track. She won the state discus title as a freshman and received multiple All Conference and All State honors in volleyball, basketball and track.  Shawn still holds many of the women’s weight lifting records at the Jackson Hole High School today. All of her accomplishments were made possible with tremendous love, devotion and support from her mom Sherry and dad Monty who drove countless miles across the state of Wyoming to support her participation in athletic events. Many sacrifices had to be made by Sherry and Monty to not miss an activity; they would not have traded their time with her for anything.

After high school Shawn chose to continue her studies at Montana State University, where she continued to play volleyball and excelled in the study of business and accounting. She graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and went on to successfully pass her CPA exam on her first try scoring in the top 2% of the nation. After college Shawn worked in finance at her family’s construction business. She then went on to spend the next 25 years as a CPA working for the Halpin Family and the Meridian Group.

During her young adult life, she could often be found on Jackson Lake water skiing from dawn till dusk with her brother Shane and numerous friends. She loved snowboarding in the winter and playing softball and golfing in the summer.  To say she loved these activities would be an understatement; they were a real passion of hers.

Softball would end up leading to the most impactful relationship of Shawn’s life.  Shawn met her future wife, Audra, through mutual friends on the softball field. Shawn and Audra shared a great friendship for many years with each of them ultimately recognizing they had found their true soulmate in each other. Shawn and Audra were married in 2003 on the island of Kauai with family and friends surrounding and supporting them. Shortly after, they decided to start their own family and in 2005 welcomed their son, Evan and in 2008 welcomed their daughter, Emerson. The children became the center of her life. She delighted in their young and emerging minds, and their boisterous activity. One of their shared loves was watching Sci-Fi movies while feasting on popcorn. Shawn was also heavily involved in her nephews Pearson, Mason and Padraig’s lives. All of the kids cherished their time with her. Her main focus was to have fun and her kid at heart mentality always showed through when she was interacting with them. She truly loved them all.

Shawn was an astonishingly genuine, caring and gentle soul. She always put other people’s thoughts and needs before her own. She was very humble, understanding and loving. Behind her bright green eyes were the mechanics of a complex and capable mind, which she often operated quietly but actively. Her conversations and sentiments were real and unfiltered, and for this her friends were grateful.

Audra fell in love with Shawn’s big heart, crooked smile, green eyes and her love of life. When her children were asked the first word that came to their mind to describe their Mommy, Evan said “caring” and Emerson said “amazing”.

Shawn is preceded in death by her grandparents, Dave and Vada Evans and Marvin and Dorothy Pearson.  She is survived by her wife, Audra Hawkins, and their two children, Evan and Emerson. She is survived by her parents, Sherry and Monty Evans, her younger brothers Scott and Shane, and their spouses, Amy and Kaye Evans. Shawn is also survived by her nephews, Pearson, Mason and Padraig, her best friend through life, Cindy Kleven Dahl and her very dear friend, Sean Chapman.

A Celebration of Shawn’s life will be held on October 21, 2017 from 3-6 at the Jackson Elks Lodge. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Community Safety Network in Shawn’s honor.