Driver who died in crash at Seven Mile ORV Park was ‘adrenaline junkie’ who looked out for friends

For Christmas, Shad Bordwell gave his son a set of tools so the pair could work on the motor of what would have been the 11-year-old’s first truck.
But a New Year’s Day off-roading accident left Bordwell dead and family and friends coping with the loss of a man remembered as a caring and helpful “adrenaline junkie.”
Bordwell, who was 48 and from Spokane, owned Bordwell Concrete and spent his free time snowmobiling, off-roading, mudding, camping and enjoying other outdoor activities.
His older sister, Kyra Jeppesen, remembers her brother’s love of going “fast.”
“We spent a lot of time together the last few years, just camping, water sports,” Jeppesen said.
He was well-known in the off-roading and snowmobiling communities for his willingness to help anyone at anytime, even a stranger.
“Everybody stops to listen when he talks,” Jeppesen said. “He just had this charisma.”
Being self-employed, Bordwell “always had a project in the works,” like a new off-road vehicle or tinkering with a snowmobile’s motor, she said, including building his “Jeep-thing,” which was described as part Jeep and part conglomeration of other vehicle parts.
“I think his biggest passion was doing this stuff with his son, who has been his sidekick since he could walk,” she said.
Bordwell spent his last moments doing what he loved with his son, who was harnessed into their off-road vehicle when it rolled. Bordwell was only wearing a lap belt and died.
The pair attended “hangover days” at Seven Mile ORV Park to show off Bordwell’s new vehicle.
One of his longtime friends, Shawn Graybeal, wasn’t surprised he wasn’t buckled in. Bordwell was stubborn and often didn’t wear a seat belt, Graybeal said.
“It really doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t have a seat belt on, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he made sure his son did,” Graybeal said. “Sadly, the stubbornness is what took him from us.”
Graybeal and Bordwell have “done everything together” for the past 21 years, Graybeal said.
“I love anything that gets your adrenaline pumping really, which made us such a good match for each other,” Graybeal said.
Since Bordwell’s death, Graybeal said more than 100 people have reached out to him to share memories and condolences. Jeppesen said she’s shocked by just how many people checked on the family.
“Everybody loves Shad,” Graybeal said. “He’s just so missed.”
Graybeal attributes his friend’s positive outlook on life as a reason he was so beloved.
“His outlook on life and just how he always had a smile on his face. Any type of adversity didn’t bother him,” Graybeal said. “Nothing fazed him and that’s just so rare in the world. He always had a smile on his face, and he was just so fun to be around.”
The pair frequently went backwoods snowmobiling together, and Graybeal planned a memorial ride for next month so that “everybody can say goodbye in their own way.”
“It’s just all a really tight-knit group, specifically backcountry snowmobiling, it’s like a family,” Graybeal said.
Don Tripplet met Shad about 20 years ago when he moved in next door.
“We had a lot in common, and we figured that out right away,” Tripplet said.
About six months later, a gate went in between their two backyards and “we were pretty much inseparable since then,” Tripplet said.
“He liked to play hard, he liked to work hard,” Tripplet said. “He was a mentor to a lot of people, just very generous with his time.”
The pair went on hundreds of snowmobiling trips together and Bordwell was always willing to bring someone new along, Tripplet said.
“Shad was always one that, whoever contacted him, he said ‘Yep, come along,’ ” Tripplet recalled.
They would all meet up in a Burger King parking lot, where Bordwell would be waiting and eating two Whoppers and a strawberry milkshake. Then, off the crew would go, Tripplet recalled.
“No matter what happened he kept a smile on his face,” Tripplet said. “If we got into a bad situation or if something happened to him … he was just always upbeat about it. No big deal, we’ll get it fixed.”
That positive attitude led to a lot of people relying on Bordwell to “give them a hand,” Tripplet said.
“He was the type of guy where you broke down at 2 a.m. and you give him a call and he’ll be right there – for anybody, not just his close friends,” Tripplet said.
Bordwell is survived by his father, Donald Bordwell; his sisters, Jeppesen and Jena Bordwell; his brother, Nick Smith; and his son, Nathan Bordwell.
The family is hosting a viewing at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home on Jan. 7 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. A celebration of life is planned for Bordwell is planned on Saturday, the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death. The celebration is CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.