Shauna Marie Schod (Cressy)

At the beginning of time, God decided a little girl, named Shauna Marie, would be born on December 22, 1987, to Bill and Yvonne Cressy in Burlington, Iowa. She would have a brother named, Derek Cressy, married to Sara. Her grandparents would be Gerry Cressy, Bill and Wanda Cressy, and Melvin and Jaunita Hall. She would grow up in Quincy, Illinois and go to college to earn her Masters at Harding University. In 2011, she would move to White Hall, Arkansas to pursue her career in teaching. There she would meet and marry her Prince Charming, Andrew Schod, and have two beautiful children of her own, Sophie (4) and Asher (8 months).

God thought of this beautiful girl and was happy. He loved her so very much, and created her exactly the way He wanted. He knew she would only be with us a short 33 years, and would go home to be with Him on September 18, 2020. But He planned a beautiful adventure for her during that time, all the while using her greatly to impact His Kingdom.

And what an adventure it was…

Shauna’s love for teaching started at an early age, where her very first student (her brother, Derek) spent almost every afternoon being taught everything she had learned earlier that day in school. Her passion and love for teaching only grew stronger as she grew older. Over the years, Shauna impacted the lives of so many students, parents, and other teachers by being a strong example of Christ.

Shauna started attending Family Church in 2011, and met her Prince Charming, Spider-Killing Hero (Andrew) that first Sunday. It was love at first sight for Andrew, but it was Shauna who boldly asked for his phone number. You see, Shauna trusted and listened to the Lord, and had been praying and writing letters to her future husband for many years. She had always dreamed of being a wife and mother, and this man, who had suddenly walked into her life, just might have been the one God made specifically for her.

Shauna and Andrew both loved the Lord with all their heart and wanted their relationship to be right in God’s eyes. They spent the next eighteen months getting to know each other and seeking the Lord’s will in their lives.

Shauna’s dream of becoming a wife came true on June 8, 2013. She and Andrew were then blessed with their children, Sophie (2016) and Asher (2020). Apart from God, her family was the most important thing to her.

Shauna quickly stepped into ministry with her husband as they became the youth pastors at Family Church. She selflessly poured into the lives of young girls, encouraging and teaching them how to walk with the Lord and to start praying for their own future husbands. Along with youth ministry, she became a safe place for the women in her life. She loved fiercely and without reserve. She was a prayer warrior, an encourager, compassionate, supporting, and always full of joy. People were important to her, and if you happened to be the one standing in front of her, you had her full and undivided attention.

Shauna didn’t want the spotlight. She didn’t care much for recognition or about huge events. Life was all about being present in the moment and it was the little things that made her the happiest. She loved unwrapping gifts more than the gift itself. She loved good food, and always stole the center piece of the cake. She was a writer at heart, and captured the moments she loved most by writing in her journals.

Shauna had been a princess all her life. First, a Princess and daddy’s girl to Bill, then Andrew’s Princess, but most of all, she was and will always be a Princess of the Most High King.

Life wasn’t always easy for her, but her faith in the Lord (her Daddy) never wavered.

September 18, 2020 was not the end of Shauna’s story. She is, now, on a new incredible adventure. She is worshipping and dancing with Jesus, holding her sweet baby she lost to a miscarriage two years ago, and waiting expectantly for her family to join her in Heaven.

As for the rest of us, when we pass through the gates of Heaven, she will be wearing huge smile and, in her soft gentle voice, say, “Hey, friend.”

If there was one thing she would want us to learn from her life, it would be to love and worship Jesus with a complete reckless abandon.

“We are stretched, but not broken…” - Shauna Schod

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be made to Family Church, 2500 AR-104, White Hall, Arkansas, 71602.