DEBORAH JANE WAITE SHAMLIN

Deborah Jane Waite Shamlin (Deb)

On Saturday, August 15, 2020, Deborah Jane Waite Shamlin (Deb), passed from this life at the Cleveland Clinic. Deborah was born on September 10, 1953, in Poughkeepsie, New York to Calvin and Janice Waite. At a young age, her parents knew she was destined for greatness and she attended Vassar College Nursery School. They moved to Washington, DC, and Deb attended Woodrow Wilson High School where her academic and intellectual strengths distinguished her as well as her leadership roles in student government. Deb graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Political Science and she continued to distinguish herself as a leader in and out of the classroom. She was active on campus and in the community, a forerunner of her involvement throughout her life. Her favorite off-campus activity was what her friends called Vassar College Fieldwork 101: The United States Military Academy at West Point. She organized women to attend West Point parties. Deb was smart, sophisticated, sharp-tongued, musical, compassionate, funny, determined, focused, opinionated and social. Most importantly, she wanted to make sure things were done properly and in order, traits that would continue through all she did throughout her lifetime. After graduation she had a short stint in banking before joining the "family business," following her father to IBM. She began her 25-year career in White Plains, and traveled where the career ladder took her, becoming senior year management in the company, and finally settling in Chicago and becoming a part of the Glencoe, Illinois community, where she raised her three children. After her retirement from IBM, she earned a master's degree in Christian Education from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. She moved to Canton, Ohio to be closer to family and Deb made her presence and activism known in the community. She served as President of the Stark County NAACP, Secretary of her chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and a respected leader in her congregation at St. Paul's Episcopal Church as well as the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Deb served as a Trustee with the Domestic Violence Project. Her long and storied professional career led her to start her own business, Print Potpourri, in 2019.

Deb is survived by her sons: Chase, Jay and Todd Shamlin; her brother, Scott Waite; sister, Cally Waite and niece Antoinette Waite; as well as her extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles. She is pre-deceased by her parents.

A private memorial service will be streamed virtually at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, August 22, 2020, at 11 a.m. No physical attendance is permitted. The link to view the memorial service will be available on the St. Paul's Facebook page. Her sons ask, that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the NAACP of Stark County to honor the memory and legacy of Deborah Jane Waite Shamlin. Arrangements entrusted to the Mark R. Vrabel Funeral Home North Canton 330-452-4041.