Myra Welsh Shannonhouse

Myra Welsh Shannonhouse of Baltimore, MD, 84, had her family by her side when she died peacefully Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at Sardis Oaks Nursing Home in Charlotte, NC. She was born May 8, 1928, in Monroe to William Bratton Welsh and Gladys Bass Welsh. She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Royal Graham Shannonhouse III, and her sister, Lane Welsh Drew. Myra was educated in Monroe public schools, St. Mary’s Junior College in Raleigh, NC, and was graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Journalism in 1950. She also pursued post-graduate studies in Literature at New York University. She began a long career in advertising and marketing as a copywriter for the J. Walter Thompson Company in New York. On July 5, 1952, Myra married Lt. Shannonhouse (USN), whom she had met while both were students at UNC. The ceremony was held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Monroe, the same church where she was baptized and her funeral service is to be held. For the next 14 years Myra devoted herself exclusively to her family, returning to her profession in 1966 as copywriter/executive with Lewis Advertising in Rocky Mt., NC, where the family had moved in 1965. The family relocated to Baltimore, MD in 1969, where Myra went to work for Stewart Co. as Publicity Director and Royal began a long tenure as a professor of law at the University of Baltimore, working also as a legal consultant and private attorney. Later Myra joined Hochschild-Kohn as Sales Promotion Director, followed some years after by a number of different sales and marketing positions including Sales Promotion Director for Edward Malley Department Store, New Haven, CN; Vice President of Sales Promotion for Sample, Inc., Buffalo NY; and Sales Promotion Director for Meyers/Arnold, Greenville, SC. Gene Lewis of Lewis Advertising remarked that Myra was the best writer and finest person in advertising he had ever known. She originated some of the well-known early slogans for the Kodak Co. and was the original copywriter for Hardee’s Restaurants (later Hardee’s Foods, Inc.). Myra also held a number of volunteer positions for various arts organizations, including marketing consultant to the Greenville (SC) Ballet, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, and Ballet Theater of Annapolis; President of the Board of Directors of Ballet Theater of Annapolis; representative for the Anne Arundel Arts Association; Commissioner for the Anne Arundel County Commission on Culture and the Arts; and fundraiser for Baltimore’s renowned Walters Art Gallery. Myra was admired for her wit, intelligence and warmth. She enjoyed a long and happy marriage, and was devoted to her children and grandchildren. She was a voracious reader who was also passionate about gardening, jazz, and the arts. Myra is survived by her sons, Royal G. Shannonhouse IV, William Welsh Shannonhouse and Elliott McCarten Shannonhouse, and three grandchildren, Mia Leza Shannonhouse, Devon Rose Shannonhouse-Wilde and Griffin McCarten Shannonhouse-Wilde. Funeral services will be held 1:00 PM, Friday, September 21, 2012, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Monroe. The family wishes to express their deep gratitude and appreciation to the staff of Sardis Oaks for their diligence and kindness in helping to care for Myra in her last years, and especially in her final weeks. The Shannonhouse family is being served by Gordon Funeral Service of Monroe. Online condolences may be made at www.gordonfuneralservice.com Published online on September 18, 2012 courtesy of Gordon Funeral Service, Inc. .