Shane Cole

Edwardsville:

Shane A. Cole, 52, passed away at 6:31pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at Christian Northeast Hospital. He was born on December 31, 1973, in Granite City, the son of Karen (Martin) Cole of Wilsonville, Illinois, and the late Glenn Cole. He married the former Melissa Sands on January 20, 1996, in Edwardsville, and she survives. Other survivors include two daughters: Katelyn Cole of East Alton, Makaylah Cole of Wood River, two brothers: Shawn Cole of Wilsonville, Shad Cole of Wilsonville, a honorary granddaughter: Rayna Adams, many nieces, nephews, and other extended family and friends.

Shane Cole loved many things in life, above all was family. And family can be many things, but to him it was his girls, cats, and a few close friends. Quiet nights with those he loved were more sacred and treasured than any kind of party. It was phone calls with his mom, working on cars with his dad, laughing with brothers, or movies with his grandbaby. He was also a man of many talents, hobbies, and passions; always referring to himself as a jack of all trades. Above all, he had a special love for welding that he did throughout his life and often used that into his talent of artistry, all done with a certain pride for the work only his hands could bring. He was a man of creation, imagination, and of God. His belief that all living creatures, no matter how big or small, deserved respect. Shane Cole was a one of a kind man and the world is a little less bright without him, but the mark he left on those he met is permanent and influential. He will be remembered through the smell of fresh coffee and a stray turtle needing a hand across a lonely road, a spark of a welding torch or the grime of engine grease, a brush of paint that didn’t wash off and maybe an old Volkswagen beetle passing by, an orchid’s first bloom. He is not gone, not exactly, because his impact is sprinkled across every mundane thing in our lives and he will continue to be remembered for it. Shane Cole will be sorely missed and forever loved.

Cremation rites will be accorded.

Memorials are suggested to the family.