He never trusted the fastest route.

If there was a back road, he took it. If there was no plan, he went anyway. His life wasn't measured by milestones so much as by detours…unmarked roads, spontaneous turns, and places most people only talked about going "someday."

He taught us, without ever meaning to, that plans are optional. That adventure doesn't require permission. That you can build almost anything if you're willing to try, fail, laugh, and try again. Boats from scraps. Smokers from filing cabinets. Businesses from ideas. Memories from nothing more than a free weekend, a curious mind and most of all the motivation to "Get'r done!".

He saw beauty where others didn't think to look. A quiet lake. A pile of lumber. A stretch of land in the mountains of Washington that would become, piece by piece, an off-grid cabin built by hand and creating a lasting legacy for generations to come. When his health gave him every reason to slow down, he chose instead to live like he was dying. Chasing dreams harder, loving louder, and saying yes more often. That final summer, living fully off grid with his wife while building their cabin, felt less like an ending and more like a culmination.

Along the way, he showed us that family is bigger than blood. Family was whoever showed up. Whoever sang karaoke on a random Saturday. Whoever needed encouragement, opportunity, or a seat at the table. Friends, employees, and their families. Once you were in his orbit, you were in it for life.

He believed dreams don't expire. He proved it by earning his pilot's license and flying his own plane all over the world. By starting businesses that gave him freedom long before most people think it's possible. By dreaming of competing on reality shows and turning that love into something bigger. Using his ideas, resources, and time to give back, whether that meant creating experiences that raised money for good causes and local nonprofits, mentoring and hiring young people and encouraging them toward careers in the trades, quietly helping neighbors in need, including rebuilding a veteran's unsafe porch simply because it mattered, making travel and shared experiences possible for his family, or, most importantly, always showing up for the people he loved.

He taught us that joy should be shared, not saved. That wisdom doesn't need a podium… sometimes it sounds like a dad joke told to a camera, spoken like a friend, recorded so others could learn alongside him. He taught us to be present, to trade convenience for meaning, and to remember that a life well lived doesn't follow straight lines.

If you emailed him, you probably received an automatic reply: "I am at a location that has limited to no service…"

That was true then, and it feels true now. He's somewhere beautiful. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere just off the main road.

Shawn was preceded in death by his mother, Daleen Troudt; his grandmother, Nina Ingalls; his grandfather, Dallas Ingalls; his aunts, Debra Davis and Barbara Jean Davis; and his grandmother Barbara Davis.

He is survived by his father, Rick Davis (Sandy Davis), and Ken Troudt; his siblings and many many beloved nieces and nephews, Duane Rucker (Jen Rucker), Katrina Fogler (Ryan Fogler), Kendra Dilka (Kevin Dilka), Jimmy Davis (Gretta Davis), and Jennifer Sampsel (Daniel Sampsel); his beloved wife, Tracy Davis; and their children and grandchildren: Jason McElfish (Andrea McElfish) and granddaughters Braleigh and Alayah McElfish; Tyler Davis (Kristina Davis) and grandchildren Sawyer and Everly Davis; Chaundra Jacobs (Jeremiah Jacobs) and granddaughters Harper and Myah Jacobs; Miranda Vandervort and granddaughters Josie and Ellie Wilks; Katie Vandervort; and Alivia Thomas.

A celebration of life will be held at Shawn's home on his birthday, June 21, 2026, 6104 County Road F, Wiggins, CO 80654.

For a man who lived his life like one long, joyful adventure, this is simply on to the next leg of the race.