Sheria Yvonne Reid

Sheria Yvonne Reid

Raleigh

Sheria Yvonne Reid, age 60 of 3812 Satinleaf Drive, Raleigh was born March 26, 1955 in Wilson County. She passed away July 1, 2015 at her home.Sheria attended Fike High School and went on to major in education at UNC-Chapel Hill. She taught English at Chapel Hill High School before deciding to pursue a law degree at UNC. By that time, her passion for education, for justice and for equality for all people could not be denied.

In 1997 she became a staff attorney for Legal Aid of NC where she passionately represented low-income clients in consumer housing, education, employment, family law and public benefit cases. By May 2001, Sheria had taken a position as Director of the Education and Law Project at the NC Justice Center and she did not take that position lightly. She actively worked on the Leandro Brief in 2003, fighting that every child in NC has a constitutional right to a sound, basic education.

Sheria was a beautiful, compassionate soul who argued fiercely and tirelessly for dignity and justice for all, especially for the powerless. In 2008 Sheria became an Attorney/Legislative Analyst at the NC General Assembly. Oh, now she was absolutely called to display her intellect, creativity, sensitivity and sharp wit as she observed politics up close and personal. She became a Facebook icon with friends and followers who admired and respected her brilliance and insight. A friend made the editors of the Los Angeles Progressive aware of her writings and she was invited to write for them, www.laprogressive.com/author/sheriareid/. Of course, Sheria created a blog so she could express her thoughts about many issues at any time and she was always vocal, http://theexaminedlife-sheria.blogspot.com/. Sheria had a forum and she used it to educate, to inform and to correct.

She was so sensitive, yet powerful, and she used her pain about social issues to try to right wrongs, to fight as hard as she could to make this world a better place.

Sheria's smile and her laughter could light up a room. She loved music and she loved to sing. As a child she began writing songs and she taught herself to play the guitar while in high school. She would compose the most beautiful music. Sheria loved expressing herself through poetry and began writing poetry by the time she was in the 5th grade. The poems became more profound as she grew older and those who know her recognize that her current poems are truly works of art. Sheria was a true child of God. He shared her with us for a short time but in that time she made a magnificent difference. Her presence on this earth will be surely missed by friends and family.

Sheria is survived by her father James G. Reid Sr. of Wilson, NC; her sister, Rhonda Reid Moody (Bobby) of Raleigh; her brother, James G. Reid, Jr. (Vanessa) of Waxhaw; her nephew, James Daniel Reid of Waxhaw; a special uncle, David Hall (Ethel) of Dallas, TX; a special cousin, Doris H. Grant of Las Vegas, NV; and a host of other special relatives and friends.

Funeral services for Sheria will be held Thursday at 11:00 AM at the C.A. Haywood Sr. Memorial Chapel 2415 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Wednesday from 12:00 PM until 8:00 PM and on Thursday from 10:00 AM until 10:45 AM. Burial will follow on Friday in the Hamilton Burial Garden, Lane Street Ext. in Wilson, NC at 11:00 AM.

Sheria was kind, courageous and had a beautiful spirit and, oh, how she loved children. In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of her favorite causes. She was a board member and an advocate for Dee's House in Wilson. The website is www.deeshouseinc.com Condolences may be made at www.haywoodfh.com/obituary

Arrangements by Haywood Funeral Home, Raleigh. (919) 832-2835 www.haywoodfh.com