Shawn "Fish" Farritor

June 13, 1967 - September 18, 2020

Shawn J. Farritor, 53 AKA “Fish” Shawn “Fish” Farritor, of Grand Island, passed into eternal life Friday, September 18th, 2020 at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He was born June 13, 1967, to the late Ed and Vicki Farritor of Ravenna, Nebraska. Doctors predicted he wouldn’t live past the age of two due to a congenital defect called Transposition of The Great Arteries. His family prayerfully pursued treatment. Shawn toddled past age four and his parents were again told he would not live past the age of eight. For his 16th birthday, he inherited the family vehicle, a royal blue ’76 Chevy Malibu Classic which became known in Ravenna circles as “The Fishmobile.” As the quintessential underdog, he dedicated his life to serving the marginalized and downtrodden. He worked tirelessly to make the world a better place. In that vein, he was an attorney for Legal Aid of Nebraska and served as Vice President of the Friendship House in Grand Island. He was also a volunteer for English as a second language instruction at the Grand Island Literacy Council. Having learned Dutch in college, he understood the difficulties in learning a new language. To better serve his students and clients in Grand Island, he learned Spanish and began learning Vietnamese. He was a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Grand Island, and a member of the Hastings Writer’s Forum, and the Nebraska Bar Association. In his spare time, Shawn wrote and published two historical fiction novels about the Pawnee Indians of Nebraska, titled: The End of Pawnee Starlight and The Pawnee War. He loved walking his basset hound Roscoe and cleaning up spilled water from glasses tipped by his cat Raskol. He adored his nieces and nephews, spending time with them whenever he could. He was a man unashamed of having a favorite dinosaur (allosaurus). He enjoyed working at the Legal Aid office in Grand Island. They appreciated his vast Nebraska Cornhuskers tie selection. Shawn’s most treasured aspect of life was being husband to Amy and stepfather to Adam, both whom he deeply loved. Shawn’s congenital heart defect subsequently led to pulmonary hypertension, ultimately making him a candidate for a heart and double lung transplant. He received this second chance of life on December 28, 2019, at the Nebraska Medical Center. He fought daily for nine months overcoming brutal complications. He bravely and humbly chose to discontinue medical interventions and surrounded himself with his family in his final moments. Shawn is survived by his wife Amy (Semm) of Grand Island and stepson Adam Tracy of Lincoln; Brothers Mike (Jan) and Pat (Betty) all of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Shane (Tracy) of Lincoln, Nebr.; Sisters Michele Abel (Tony) of Lake Jackson, Texas, Mary Clark of Ravenna, Nebr., and Sharon Raimondo (Tony) of Columbus, Nebr.; Aunt Lenore Rourke of Lincoln, Nebr., Aunt Ann Gracyzk of Sumner, Nebr., Uncle Charles Farritor of Claremont, Calif.; Mother-In-Law Jo Semm of Grand Island, Nebr.; and many adored nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Vicki Farritor (Graczyk); grandparents Frank and Mary (McDonald) Farritor, and Walter and Sally (Kosmicki) Graczyk; brother-in-law Bruce Clark; father-in-law Gary Semm; and many aunts and uncles. Visitation will be at 5:00 pm followed by a vigil at 7:00pm Thursday, September 24th, 2020 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Grand Island, Nebraska. Family will be greeting. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, September 25, 2020, at 10:30 am at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Grand Island, with Father Marty Egging as the Celebrant. Interment will be in the West Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Island. To protect one another facemasks are required. Lunch at the church following interment. Memorials are suggested to Legal Aid of Nebraska, Crossroads Homeless Shelter in Hastings or the Shawn Farritor Benefit Fund. All Faiths Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements.