Mrs. Edith Wallenburg Shelton

At 74 years, on July 29, 2020, Edith Wallenburg Shelton passed away. How do you summarize a life as miraculous and wonderful as hers? It was filled with magical childhood memories the likes of Minnie the Mermaid, whom she loved dearly, large bomber plane flyovers and tipped wings announcing the arrival of her uncle Rembert to town, buggy roads and secret gardens, trips to Sea Island in Georgia and the mountains of North Carolina, learning to make meringues and polishing silver for fine parties, summers at Camp Kanuga and the many hours spent listening to music with her brother John…it just goes on and on. Edie was brilliant! In fact, during the Cold War era, government officials came into her school in Aiken and pulled out the best minds and put them in special advanced classes to aid in our race to space. For a while she wanted to become a rocket scientist for NASA, which for a woman in the 1960s was very unconventional. She went on to study mathematics, she was a Golden Heart at Wesleyan College in Georgia and graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina. In Columbia is where she met the love of her life, Gary, and it was love at first sight for both of them. They decided they would get married on their first date and married they have been. It would have been 49 years this August 7. Their love story is one so special that is the true gift and the miracle of her life above all else. She was briefly a teacher at AC Flora High School but shifted back to her passion for analytics and math serving as a computer programer and manager of mainframe systems for the Employment Securities Commission in the 1970s. She then moved into a Systems and Management Consulting role at the Farm Credit Bank in Columbia, SC advising the Board on process improvements. From there she became an AVP of Information Systems at AgFirst Farm Credit Bank and was in charge of all management of design, programming staff and strategic systems across three Federal Land Banks and Production Credit Banks covering a 13 state area from Maryland to Louisiana. Now you have to remember, women in the workplace was a newer concept at this time, and women in technology and management was almost unheard of, and a female executive was just not even a thing. She was a true trailblazer and ceiling breaker. Edie was surrounded by friends and loved ones throughout her life. She played bridge for years and was a part of an amazing Bridge Club made up of equally fantastic women and a true support group. Later in life she and Gary became members of the Thursday Lunch Group - a group of friends so diverse but connected by caring and love for each other, and food! They were also members of the Lake Murray Sailing Club, spending countless weekends with friends and Y-Flyers. She and Gary enjoyed Clemson Football games, tailgating and trips to Hilton Head Island with her lifelong friend, Frank. When in the mountains, she enjoyed spending time with her friends, especially Real and Aline. She loved basketball and attending USC basketball games with her friends when she could. She played the oboe when she was younger and never lost her passion for music, most recently enjoying a porch concert from a trained opera singer at her mountain home. Edie even briefly tried her hand at Ikebana flower arranging and always loved art and especially "vizitin" with people. She started a Homework Center at her church, St. Simon and St. Jude Episcopal, and served as a hospice volunteer. Born in Augusta, GA on September 15, 1945 to the late Walter Gustave and Edith Fleming Tarver Wallenburg, Edie was one of 5 children - Elizabeth Spruell, Catherine McKneight (Tim), Gracie Siebert and the late John Wallenburg. She had one child, Catie Martin (Andy), and two granddaughters whom she loved deeply, Sophie and Maren, and countless nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews. Mama loved her family deeply and being a part of their lives gave her true joy. In fact, she could often be found watching her family and simply smiling at the life they were enjoying. She was kind and she was loving and a perpetual optimist with a dynamic sense of fashion and style - her favorite outfit being bermuda shorts and knee high socks, the wilder the better, because why not? The magic of her life was not without struggles, but she just charged through every one of them, never giving up and never losing her happy approach to life. She was the strongest person I know and I imagine one of the strongest I will ever meet. It was an accidental fall and dementia, not her weakened heart, that took her, but she will forever be here with us, as her sparkle and zest for life lives on in all who loved her and all whom she loved. As if she needed any more, one of the final gifts of her life was being able to spend the entire summer in her beloved NC mountain home with her loving husband, daughter, grandchildren and son-in-law, surrounded by the laughter and joy of children at play and cool, beautiful mountain days and her sweet pup, Topper who loved her deeply. We would like to thank all of her care team across North and South Carolina, especially the angels that walk among us at Four Seasons Hospice. You truly gave us a final gift in your care and unconditional love for mama. Our family could have never travelled this path without you by our sides. Edie’s life will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 5 at 10am with a graveside service at The Episcopal Church of St. Simon and St. Jude Cemetery, 1110 Kinley Road, Irmo, SC 29063. The Rev. Mark Abdelnour will officiate. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting our family. As she never liked a fuss, we are encouraging any who join us to come casual - shorts, shirtsleeves, and brightly colored clothes! Masks and social distancing will be required. We would also ask that memorials be made in her name to Leeza’s Care Connection in Columbia, SC in support of families living with Alzheimer’s in their lives.

Tributes

Mrs. Edith Wallenburg Shelton

September 15, 1945 - July 29, 2020