Grace Shewmaker Obituary

Grace Limehouse Shewmaker ATLANTA, GA - Grace Limehouse Shewmaker, 90, passed away on April 7, 2023 (Good Friday). Visitation will be Friday evening, April 14th from 6-8 PM at Parks Funeral Home in Summerville, South Carolina. Celebration of her life will be held in Parks Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday, April 15th at 2 PM. Graveside service will be held at Old White Church and Meeting House following the chapel service, she will be buried next to her beloved Alan, and loving parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the Limehouse family plot. Born Catherine Grace Limehouse, she was the only child of Harry Jamison Limehouse and Thelma Guerard Limehouse of Summerville. The small family lived with her grandparents at 225 Stallsville Loop, commonly referred to as "The Big House." The beautiful Southern home was christened "The Big House" when her great grandfather, Sheriff, OB Limehouse purchased and added the second story for his lovely bride, Margaret Jamison Limehouse and their young children. Grace attended Summerville High School and during her early teenage years, by her own choosing, changed her first name to Katherine with a K even though she was always called Grace. A much more befitting and elegant name for herself; however, dropped Katherine completely when she married. Grace was actively involved in various high school activities - Student Council, the National Honor Society and was President of the National Honor Society her senior year. She participated in the Beta Club, played the bells in the band all four years, was a member of the Junior Homemaker's Association along with J. H. A., the Glee Club and was the Basket Ball Manager. To top it off, she was Secretary of her Senior Class, as well as Senior Superlative and voted "Most Likely to Succeed." Her parents, aunts and uncles were always encouraging her to be a great leader and she proved this throughout her life. Grace attended the Womans' College of the University of North Carolina. Her aunt, Thelma Limehouse, a high school math teacher living in High Point, NC, encouraged her to attend the all-girls college. Grace actively participated in leadership clubs and graduated with honors in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She and her three college roommates chose Atlanta start their careers. Grace's career began at Saint Joseph's Hospital as a medical technologist and she lived in the hospital dorm. A few years into her career she met a man named Alan Pierce Shewmaker, and aeronautical engineer working for Lockheed (deceased 2002), who was one of her patients. They both realized they had been on a date 12 months earlier and began dating, this time very seriously. Within a few weeks the couple were engaged to be married. They told their parents that they had known each other for over a year and were married at Stallsville United Methodist Church on March 1, 1957. They lived in Brookhaven, Georgia prior to the births of their three children. Grace leaves behind, daughter, Karen Shewmaker Latta,(granddaughter, Rachael Grace Latta); son, Chris Alan Shewmaker and his wife, Lynn Wallace Shewmaker, (grandsons, Zachary Patrick Shewmaker and Nicholas Kyle Shewmaker, and granddaughter, Caroline Grace Shewmaker); and Craig Stephen Shewmaker married to Sonya Ochoa Shewmaker, (granddaughter, Brandi Ochoa Sagona and grandson, Trevor Alan Shewmaker). Grace was very proud of all of her children and spent countless years teaching them and her grandchildren about nature - flowers, trees, leaves, rocks, stones, shells, ducks, frogs and various animals. She lovingly referred to acorns, hickory nuts, rocks, stones and shells as "treasures" and encouraged all of her children and grandchildren (her Sunshines) to collect them. Grace had a very warm heart for the beach and spent many a summer at Isle of Palms, Pawley's Island and Amelia Island. She loved hearing the sound of the waves, watching the sunrise and sunset and searching the beach for shells. Grace's career expanded over the decades by selling Tupperware, where she received numerous awards and won many trips using her leadership skills to succeed. She was an art consultant for Galleries International and her favorite art was anything nature. Her last professional career was with Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, where she taught two-year olds. She started teaching when she was 77 and retired at 85. The children were extremely fond of her and viewed her as a wonderful, loving grandmother. Grace especially loved life. She loved her family and friends. She was always meeting new people who were quickly enchanted by her positive attitude, winning smile, and charming Southern personality. She was extremely intelligent, poised herself like a lady with a very sassy demeanor, she loved to laugh, and was quite captivating with her quiet sense of humor. Grace's love of flowers would be greatly appreciated in her remembrance for the services, or donations can be made to The Nature Conservancy, nature.org/Georgia. Grace Limehouse Shewmaker leaves an everlasting memory on her family, friends, and colleagues. Arrangements by Parks Funeral Home, 130 West 1st North Street, Summerville, SC 29483. www.parksfuneralhome.com Visit our guestbook at legacy.com/obituaries/charleston