Shawn Triller

Shawn Michael Triller, age 67, formerly of Madison passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, December 19th, 2021 at home in Janesville. He was born July 22, 1954, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Charles and Charlotte Triller.

Shawn moved to the Madison area as a young child, but always felt a strong connection and sense of pride to his family and relatives out east throughout his life. His family settled into the Middelton area and quickly found connections through St. Bernard church which the family attended throughout his childhood and the many friends the family made in their neighborhood on Franklin Avenue. Shawn remained close to Madison for most of his life. Working and raising his children in the Verona area with his ex-wife Beth, who remained a lifelong friend. Then later made his way to homes close to the various lakes, near both Lake Waubesa and Lake Monona. He so enjoyed being able to see the water each day and the natural beauty of the lake communities. It always brought him a great deal of peace. Shawn spent his career working in the concrete industry and took pride in the projects he was a part of around Dane County, along with being a past president of the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association.

Throughout his life, Shawn enjoyed many hobbies related to building, fixing, and tinkering. Many of the Triller households had walls torn down, remodels, new garages, and probably some type of new concrete element added to them when Shawn was there. He enjoyed taking those homes and turning them into the best versions they could be (with the best garages, he loved a well-constructed garage). His love of building and fixing also extended to cars and boats. For those that knew him, there was always a “new” boat or car appearing in the driveway that just needed a few things changed out before it would be up and running like a dream. This love, and the colorful language that came with these projects, have been passed onto Shawn’s son Ben. In recent years they both enjoyed working together on many boats and car projects and seeing the outcome of those projects and enjoying the fruits of their labor, together.

In retirement, Shawn had moved to Janesville and in the last few years was creating a life there. He spent time volunteering with the Janesville Salvation Army, enjoyed visiting the public library to check out books on trains and boats, and took Emma, his beloved dog for walks along the river. During this time he was also working with his dear friend Craig Temple restoring “The Badger”, a 1940s Richardson mahogany boat that had traveled all over the country, but most recently called Lake Wisconsin home. One of the things Shawn loved the most in this world were his children, Ben and Nicole. He often spoke of how proud he was of the adults they were becoming.  He enjoyed watching them grow up and build a friendship alongside them into adulthood. He was incredibly proud of his son Ben. He was proud of the loyal friend that Ben is, how hardworking he is, and the talented mechanic Ben has become. He was so proud to share his love of tinkering and building with Ben. He was also incredibly proud of his daughter, Nicole. He often spoke of her caring nature as an educator and of the intelligent woman she had become. He also enjoyed helping both of them settle into their first homes and assisting with remodeling ideas and sharing the passion of home improvement with his children.

For Shawn, many of his joys came from the simple things in life. A cold beer, a great song with a phenomenal air guitar solo, a phone call from friends and family, a sweet dog at his feet while he read the newspaper, helping someone when they needed it, and spending time with his children. For those that truly knew him, you knew that although he could present a gruff exterior, at his best, he was an incredibly thoughtful, caring, fun-loving man, waiting to be your lifelong friend. We all contain multitudes, and have many unique parts to our story and Shawn was no exception to this. With his passing, we remember our favorite parts of his multitudes and take comfort in the many unforgettable memories shared and the love that he shared in his time here on earth.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Charlotte Triller; sibling Charles (Skip) Triller; partner Nancy Nelson. He is survived by his children, Nicole (Erik) Nelson and Ben (Lindsay) Triller; siblings Sharon (Mike) Kaltenberg and Keith (Laurie) Triller.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at 11:00 am on January 15, 2022, at Cress Funeral Services, 3610 Speedway Rd. Visitation will be held from 10a.m-11a.m.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to organizations Shawn felt a strong connection to: Salvation Army, Thursday’s Child (P.O. Box 95 Mt. Hope, WI), or Rawhide Youth Services (E7475 Rawhide Road New London, WI 54961).