Shawn Way, bank co-founder and nonprofit leader, leaves legacy of service
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — In the months after he was diagnosed with ALS, Shawn Way faced the disease with a newfound gratitude for the life he had lived.
“Enjoy and appreciate every aspect of your life,” he wrote nine months after his diagnosis, according to his daughter Kate Way Fell. “Driving to work, mowing the lawn, going out to eat and helping any and everyone in need. Life is a gift, enjoy and take nothing for granted.”
Way approached life with grace, not despair after being diagnosed with the progressive disease, his friends and family said. The co-founder of Rockford Bank & Trust, who went on to serve people with disabilities as the head of the nonprofit Milestone Inc., died Friday after a 2 1/2-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He had turned 63 two days earlier.
Past coverage: ‘The luckiest guy in the world’: Shawn Way faces ALS with focus on living, not grieving
“Early in his diagnosis he would say, ‘I’ve had a great life. No regrets. Only thankfulness,”‘ said Thomas Budd, a longtime friend who recruited Way to help him start the bank. “He just accepted it with such class, such a horrible disease.”
Way is being remembered as a talented marketer and selfless community advocate who displayed a sharp sense of humor and genuine ability to connect with and care for other people. Those close to Way said the life he lived after his diagnosis in February 2023 was, as it was in the years prior, focused on other people.
“He still looked at us and asked us how we were doing,” said Bill Grahn, CEO of Milestone Inc. “He asked us what he could do to help. .. It was never about him, it was always about us.”
Grahn succeeded Way as the third CEO of Milestone, which has served people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for 52 years. Way had led the organization for 13 years, taking the reigns from founder Jim Hamilton.
“He was the epitome of a servant-leader,” Grahn said of Way. “He lived the mission. He felt the accomplishments of our individuals, he felt the accomplishments of our staff. He felt the pain of our individuals, he felt the pain of our staff.”
Way was born and raised in Rockford. He graduated from Holy Family Catholic School and Boylan Catholic Central High School, where he pitched for the 1980 conference championship team. He met his future wife, Kathy, after a game during his senior year.
“I fell in love right away,” Way told Paul Arco during an interview with the Rock River Current in 2023.
The couple married in 1987, and Way would proudly boast that Kathy was his first and only girlfriend.
In his final year, she also became his caretaker. Kathy Way is a trained nurse.
“She took a leave from work to care for him for the last year, and he never once went back to the hospital,” their daughter Kate Way Fell said. “She kept him home and safe until he ultimately knew it was time to go.”
The couple had six children: Alex, Hannah, Emily, Sarah, Kate and Michael.
“He and my mom built a big family, and hopefully we can continue some of the things he started and his legacy, and hopefully be half the person he was,” Way Fell said. “I can’t imagine having as much impact on people as he has.”
Sarah Gorman had also stayed with her parents for a time, putting her career on pause to help care for her father.
Way, who was given six months to a year to live after his diagnosis, felt lucky to survive long enough to walk his daughters Sarah and Kate down the aisle. Then, in April, both daughters gave birth, making Way a proud grandfather to Bennett Gorman and Charlie Fell.
Way, who earned a marketing degree from Northern Illinois University, went on to a 20-year career at Amcore Bank. He left after Budd, a longtime friend and former Boylan classmate, approached him about starting a local bank.
“I called him up and just asked him if he wanted to go grab a drink,” Budd said. “He had no idea I was going to say, ‘How would you like to start a bank together?'”
Starting Rockford Bank & Trust about two decades ago was a humbling experience, Budd said.
“You go from working for a big, big organization to sitting in your basement and going out driving around looking for a place to hang your shingle,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do it again, but doing it with him — while maybe stressful — it was just a lot of fun. Memories I’ll never forget.”
Rockford Bank & Trust was acquired by Illinois Bank & Trust in 2019. Budd is still the top local executive for Illinois Bank & Trust. Its parent company merged with UMB Financial Corporation in 2024.
Budd said during their time at the bank together, Way would regularly thank tellers for their effort to care for customers.
“It was never fake. He was always sincere,” Budd said. “He fed off interaction with other people and he was just very genuine. You never met anybody who didn’t like him.”
Jay Graham said his favorite version of Way wasn’t the banker or marketer, but the comedian.
“His humor was never mean, just precise. His timing was razor sharp and his delivery always featured an innocent grin,” said Graham, a founding partner and the creative director of GrahamSpencer, which worked with Way’s businesses over the years.
Graham, who has known Way since roughly 1992, said his friend was thoughtful, unique and funny all at once.
“He gave more than he took and looked out for others. He rarely saw a problem that he didn’t think he should try to solve in some way, shape or form,” Graham wrote on Facebook. “Shawn was one of those rare souls whose generosity of spirit came with an extra helping of wit. I honestly can’t recall a single conversation with him that didn’t end with a smile — usually mine.”
Way was also a major advocate for Rockford and its people. His youngest daughter, Way Fell, joked that he would yell at them if they went to a chain restaurant instead of supporting a locally owned business.
“He cared deeply for Rockford and its success,” she said. “He was so proud to live in Rockford and he gave so much to this community. He just wants the best for this town, this city and everyone in it.”
As his disease progressed, Way Fell said her father would often text to ask his children to look out for their mother. Those messages showed the care for others that he displayed throughout his life, she said.
“He genuinely cared for so many people and didn’t expect anything out of it,” Way Fell said. “It was just who he was.”
Services for Shawn Way
A wake will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, 1860 S Mulford Road, Rockford. Attendees are welcome to wear sports jerseys or apparel to celebrate Shawn’s love of his favorite sports teams: the Cubs, Packers, Bucks and Blackhawks.
A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 4401 Highcrest Road, Rockford.
In lieu of flowers, support can be directed toward Milestone and Rock House Kids.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
