Shawn L. Reeves was born May 9, 1978, in St. George, to parents LaDonne Way Shuler and Johnnie Reeves. He received his B.S. in Biology from the College of Charleston in 2001; and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2004.
He began his career with Murphy & Grantland, P.A. and in 2005, went to work for the SC Attorney General’s Office. He later joined Harvey & Battey, P.A. and then opened his own law practice in 2010. At the time of his death, he was employed as Assistant General Counsel for the Department of Social Services. He often cited the quotation engraved above the Old Bailey in London, “Defend the Children of the Poor and Punish the Wrongdoer” as the heart of his vocation. As an attorney, he sought justice and security for the most vulnerable in South Carolina. He contributed his legal and mediation skills to the community and valued helping families. He was a certified family court mediator and served on the board of the Midlands Mediation Center and the National Association of Community Mediation.
Shawn was a member of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce and the SC Bar, where he served on its Children’s Law Committee and Solo and Small Firm Section. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina.
He was a devout Episcopalian and a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, where he taught Sunday school. He journaled and meditated on passages from the Book of Common Prayer daily. Physical health was just as important to Shawn as spiritual health. He regularly worked out—completing the rigorous Murph workout every Tuesday at 4:30 a.m., and in the past year he became a vegetarian. He loved finding new recipes and cooking with his wife Amy.
Shawn L. Reeves died on July 5, 2020. He is survived by his spouse, Amy Carol Reeves; children, Atticus L. Reeves, Amelia C. Reeves, and Tennyson W. Reeves; mother and stepfather, LaDonne and Glenn Shuler; five siblings, Stacey Owens (Chris), Matthew Shuler, Paul Shuler (Lauryn), Hannah Fakoornejad (A.J.), and Samuel Shuler (Cari); and his grandmother, Catherine Reeves.