Obituary of Shawn Hendrick Haanstra

It is with profound sadness, we announce the passing of Shawn Hendrick Haanstra at the Saint John Regional Hospital on March 5th, 2020. Shawn was born on July 10th, 1965 in Minto NB, the son of Rosemary Haanstra (Richardson) and the late Willem (Bill) Haanstra. In addition to his mother, Shawn is survived by his three wonderful children Alex, Carter and Rachel each of whom he loved beyond measure and was so proud of; sister Susan Haanstra and Heather Arsenault (Daryl); special niece and nephew Tori Arsenault (Justin Brawn) and Jordan Arsenault; special uncle and aunt Richard and Shirley Richardson; several special cousins both here and in the Netherlands. Shawn is also survived by his Respiratory Therapy and ICU families at the Dr. Everette Chalmers Hospital, and by the mother of his children Nancy Shuttenbeld. Shawn was predeceased by his father Bill in 2002, infant sister in 1966 as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The majority of Shawn’s work life was spent as a Respiratory Therapist at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital for the last 29 years. His love for the work he did was enormous and Shawn was always known for taking new employees under his wing and showing them the ropes. He would often be caught saying that he was “off to work to save lives.” The thing that stood out most about Shawn was the love he had for his children. They were the reason that he got up in the morning and he could not have been more proud of his three kids. Those that knew Shawn knew that becoming a father was his greatest accomplishment and the strength he had will live on through them. Resting at Hogg Funeral Home (10 King Street, Minto NB) with visitation on Monday evening from 5-8pm funeral service taking place 2:00PM Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at Trinity United Church in Minto. Internment to take place at a later date. For those who wish, remembrances can be made to the MEMS Breakfast Program, John Howard Society Fredericton branch or charity of the donors choice. Shawn’s children would love for any Leafs fans to wear blue or any Toronto Maple Leafs swag in honor of Shawn’s love for the Leafs. We would like to extend our sincere thank you to the incredible staff at the DECH ER and ICU as well as the SJRH SICU for your professional and compassionate care of Shawn.