Shawna Grace (Eckloff) DesJardins

MUNISING

Shawna Grace DesJardins (nee Eckloff), age 58, passed away on Tuesday, October 24, at her home in Munising surrounded by her family and with her beloved wolf hounds, Shadow and Murphy, at her feet. She fought bravely but lost her second battle with metastatic breast cancer.

She was born May 3, 1965, in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Thomas and Sharon Clark. She moved to Marquette when she was seven years old and her mom married Russ Eckloff on January 14, 1972, giving Shawna six new brothers and sisters. She grew up in South Marquette and attended Marquette Senior High School, graduating in 1983.

Shawna married Mark Duquaine on April 20, 1985, and the couple had three children, Kaylee, Brenden and Eli. She worked at the Shopko pharmacy and was a star outfielder for the Duquaine Plumbing and Heating softball team. Many years later after moving to Munising she became friends with several of the players from the Munising Peppers, the team’s archrivals from many a contest at Hurley Field.

Shawna received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from Northern Michigan University in 2007 and shortly thereafter began working as an office assistant at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in Marquette while working nights in the billing department of Peninsula Pharmacy. In 2010 she was promoted to eligibility specialist and assigned to the Alger County MDHHS Office.

She married Rod DesJardins on May 21, 2011, and the couple settled in Munising and united their two families. Shawna enjoyed hiking and two-tracking and boating on Lake Superior with friends and family. Some of her favorite things were rocks and sticks, leaves and feathers, which she collected at every opportunity and incorporated into her many crafts. Shawna excelled at crafting in several different media and was often encouraged to sell her work, but she declined, opting instead to give it as gifts to friends and family.

She was an accomplished photographer who specialized in nature photography and candid photos. Her composition was soft yet precise and she captured the beauty of our natural surroundings along with the laughter and joy of the people she shared it with.

Shawna had a kind heart and she hated conflict of any kind unless someone threatened a member of her family or someone she loved. Then she became a tiger and instinctively and fearlessly put herself in the path of any danger.

She was a devoted mother and grandmother who never forgot a birthday or an anniversary. She loved dogs and furnished and decorated her home to accommodate a loving pair of Irish Wolfhounds. She had an easy laugh and a keen sense of humor. Her smile brightened the whole room when she walked in the door and her kindness and fun-loving spirit was magnetic and contagious. You could not help but have a good time when you were with Shawna. Just being with her made people happy. She was the best of us, a loyal and supportive friend, and everyone fortunate enough to be touched by her gentle spirit is better for the experience.

She is survived by her husband Rod, her children Kaylee Duquaine of Gwinn, Brenden (Alexa) Duquaine of Marquette, and Eli Duquaine of Gwinn; Rod’s children, Samantha (Michael) Bell of Atoka TN, Victoria (Nick) Hansen of Grand Rapids, and Aaron (Franchesca) DesJardins of Norfolk VA, sisters Delynn (Ben) Klein of Marquette, Suzette (Ken) Hanz of Skandia,  Ruth Ann Eckloff of Petoskey, Dionna (Daniel) Dowdy of L’Anse, and Sheila (Daryl) Smith of Gwinn, brothers Ricky (Teresa) Eckloff of Skandia and Russell (Tami) Eckloff of Queen Creek AZ, granddaughter Trinity and grandsons Grayson, Tatum, Bodie, Alexander and Townes, along with numerous uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Russ and Sharon Eckloff, and her brother Victor.

The family would like to thank the team, especially the nurses, at the Green Bay Oncology Clinic and the Third Order of St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay, Munising Memorial Hospital, and the staff at Putvin’s Drugstore in Munising.

Friends may call at the Bowerman Funeral Home, 302 E. Superior St. in Munising on Monday, October 30. Visitation will be from 2:00 to 5:00pm, services will be at 5:00pm followed by a fellowship gathering at the American Legion Post #131. Inurnment will be at the Williams-Powell Cemetery on Grand Island at a future date.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Nancy Golisek Beauchaine Cancer Foundation through the family or directly at Embers Credit Union 200 M-28 East, Munising, MI 49862.