Grace’s Story
She was built for adventure. The world, to Grace, was not a map but an invitation. Her graduation gift wasn’t just a trip; it was a pilgrimage across Europe with her two cousins and grandparents—train stations, cobblestone streets, late-night conversations, and the feeling that life was opening up in every direction. Before and after that, there were other journeys: Colorado’s mountains, New York’s city lights, Florida’s coasts, and the familiar, grounding pull of the family cabin in Wisconsin, where the trees and the lake stood like old friends waiting for her return.
Dance was her language. She danced for almost 15 years from the ymca to dancing feet where she danced for many years, a young girl on a bright stage, just doing recitals, learning steps, finding her rhythm. Over time, the recitals became competitions, and the quiet practice turned into sharp, confident movement. She wasn’t just learning routines—she was claiming space, telling stories without words. She loved helping younger dancers, kneeling beside them to walk through a move again and again. When it was her cousin, all the better; she could be the “boss” in the softest, most loving way, turning rehearsal into a shared adventure.
Grace’s sense of purpose ran deeper than her own journey. She showed up where help was needed: packing meals at Feed My Starving Children, sorting and serving at the local food bank, lending her time so that others could eat, rest, and feel seen. Her kindness traveled with her. In Greece, after a meal out during her graduation trip, she quietly handed her leftovers to a homeless family outside the restaurant—no speech, no spotlight, just a simple, clear act of humanity.
Strong-willed and steady, Grace was the friend you called when things fell apart and the family member you could count on without question. She stood up, spoke up, and showed up—for her people and for strangers alike.
On September 1, 2023, at the lake by the family cabin, Grace Rhine and Kyree Shaw were taken far too soon. Yet there story did not end there. Through Gifts from Grace, her compassion lives on—turning loss into purpose, and love into action that protects and saves others.
