Days After Naming Third Child After Late Father-in-Law, Shawn Johnson East Shares Emotional Memoir on First Death Anniversary

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East made a smooth transition from the realm of balancing beams to the busy life of Nashville to social media stardom, and the joys of parenting. Known for taking home four medals at the 2008 Olympics, she’s still a ball of energy and enthusiasm as seen in her fun online updates with husband Andrew East, a former football player whom she married in 2016. But alas, bereavement spares no man, and Johnson East was no exception too. But she seized the moment recently by paying homage.

Days after her emotional disclosure that her third child, Barrett “Bear” Madison East, was named in honor of her late father-in-law on December 12; She celebrated Andrew East’s father’s one-year death anniversary recently with a heartwarming update.

Shawn Johnson East shares bittersweet memories

Bear is the newest member of the family, joining siblings Jett, 2, and Drew, 4. The blurb for the Instagram video detailed Guy East’s untimely death in December 2022 at the age of 63. The video started with treasured family recordings, showing Guy East giving Andrew a fond embrace. In the clips that followed, showed Guy East as a loving grandfather and a dedicated family man who enjoyed amusing and reading stories to his grandchildren.

It also had a short video of the couple happily telling him they were pregnant. The memory dump had the audience on an emotional roller coaster, especially the ones who knew Guy East. Andrew posted the tribute tape with the remark, “posting this so our kids can watch it and remember their papa.”

Earlier this month, Andrew told People, “My dad was born on December 9 and passed away unexpectedly on December 27 of last year, so December is a really impactful month for us.” “We’re so happy we got to use the name Barrett Madison for our son and love calling him ‘Bear,'” he added.

Interestingly, Andrew’s grandfather had the name Madison, which he then passed down to his father, leaving a well-loved and important family tradition. Apart from blood relation, there is another endearing connection which the East boys share.

The December connect that makes it special

Guy East was born on December 9, 1959, and died a few days after his sixty-third birthday. Bear’s arrival becomes more poignant with Andrew East’s recognition of December’s significance as his father’s birth month and his passing month.

Andrew also mentioned, “Having our baby born so close to my dad’s birthday feels really special, and I know he would be smiling down and so proud,” in reflection on the birth of their son on Guy East’s birthday.

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Shawn Johnson East’s moving memoir, which is set against the backdrop of the holiday season and the excitement of a new family member’s arrival, is proof of the continuing strength of familial ties with beautiful remembrance.

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