Ella Mae Shearon

Ella Mae Lentz Shearon, 92, of Wake Forest passed away Friday, July 25, 2025. She was the daughter of the late Carl Nick Lentz and Vera Hogg Lentz. A sister, Betty Lentz Siegel, preceded her in death.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 2:30 pm at Wake Forest United Methodist Church with Rev. Jim Littleton and Rev. Karen Whitaker officiating. The family will receive friends from 2:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursday at the church. A private burial will be held.

Ella Mae Shearon was born in Cumberland, KY and grew up in Cumberland. She graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and German Literature and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Florida. In her career, she was a teacher, college professor and psychotherapist/educator. She was certified as a Director of Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy with the Moreno Institute studying directly with J.L. Moreno, her mentor and the foremost pioneer of group psychotherapy. In 1975, she founded The Institute for Psychodrama Dr. Ella Mae Shearon in Cologne, Germany which certifies and trains psychiatrists, psychologists and other psychotherapy professionals in psychodrama. She was one of the founders of FEPTO, the Federation of European Psychodrama Training Organizations, and served as a board member for many years. Along with her husband, Wallace Shearon, she continued to lead and develop the Institute which certified over 20,000 professionals over the next 35 years, and which continues her legacy in training psychotherapy professionals today. She and her husband of 68 years moved from Germany to Wake Forest in 2003 and enjoyed time with family and friends.

She is survived by her son, Scott Shearon and her daughter, Nicki and her husband, Nelson and her grandson, Ethan.

Bright Funeral Home is serving the Shearon family.