Shawn Christian Hitteman of Ashburn, VA was born July 21, 1975 in Peoria, Illinois.  He spent his early years in Illinois with his younger brother Brad, and eventually moved to Texas where he spent his teenage and early adult years.  He moved to Virginia in 2001 after the birth of his oldest daughter.

Shawn's career was in construction, and he specialized in overseeing the development of large projects as a construction superintendent.  While in Texas, Shawn worked in commercial land development doing site preparation for the construction of such buildings as restaurants and Home Depots.  In Virginia, he moved into residential construction and oversaw the building of housing sections in Belmont Country Club, Ashburn Farm, and Leesburg neighborhoods as well as several individual custom home building projects in Fairfax.  Over the years Shawn became involved in remodeling, and used his creativity to build decks, perform custom tile projects and painting.

Shawn loved nature and plants and never met an orchid he could not nurture to rebloom year after year.  He loved animals, and even though he was allergic to cats, he would pet them until his eyes watered.  He loved trying to cook, and before his death he was learning how to make Texas kolaches for his children.  Shawn loved his children very much and was always looking for ways to make them smile.  He was forever a kid at heart, and even as his children grew older, he would still try to get them to watch all the animated movies with him or play games.

He is survived by his 3 children - daughters Alayna and Isabella Hitteman and son Maverick Hitteman; his two sisters - Devon and Rachel Hitteman; and his niece and nephew - Mary Jane and Jackson.

A story about Shawn people may not know was how excited he was when he got his passport many years ago.  He would talk over the years how he had a passport and how everyone should get one so they could travel the world.  He never did get the chance to go anywhere with his passport, but that was not the point.  What mattered was what it represented to him.  It represented something to look forward to, all the new places to see one day and new people to meet.  The freedom to explore and discover new things, and the stories he would be able to tell one day.  To honor Shawn's life, his family asks that you use your passport to go visit an old friend or go home so you can hug your family.  Visit somewhere you have always wanted to see or go back somewhere you've visited before and had the time of your life.  Be sure to use your passport as much as you can in your life, and never stop creating memories for you and your loved ones.