Yvonne
Engwall Sheline, Ph.D., 79, died suddenly on Wednesday, April 4, 2007,
in Fort Myers, where she and her husband lived in their winter residence
of Lucina Court at Shell Point. She is survived by her husband of
56 years, Raymond K. Sheline, distinguished professor of chemistry and
physics at Florida State. The services were held on Sunday, April
8, at Abbey-Riposta Funeral Home, with burial at Tallahassee Memory
Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to
American Baptist International Ministries, Attn.: Yvonne Engwall Sheline
Fund, P.O. Box 851 Valley Forge, PA 19482.Yvonne was born in Falun, Sweden on May 3, 1927. She grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Belgian Congo), as the daughter of Baptist missionaries. She was home-schooled by her mother until high school, got her master's degree in education at the university of Chicago, where she met her husband. She obtained her Ph.D. in education from Florida State University at age 51, after raising seven children. She received a Fulbright Professorship for educational studies in Congo, where she taught at the Pedagogical Institute. She had a custom of inviting all of her husband's FSU students, both undergraduate and graduate level, to dinner at their house on Lake Bradford. She maintained a life-long commitment to improving the lot of the Congolese people, and returned to work and volunteer many times over the years. She is the author of several books, (some written in Kikongo, which was her first language), on topics such as prevention of AIDS and children's stories. Her selfless and giving spirit will be sorely missed. She is survived by her older sister, Elaine Bevilacqua, of Washington, D.C., and seven children, Yvette Sheline M.D. of Clayton, MO, Raymond Sheline M.D. of Carlsbad, CA, Jonathan Sheline M.D. of Durham, NC, Hans Sheline M.S. of Sugarland, TX, Rebecca Socolar M.D. of Chapel Hill, NC, Martin Sheline M.D. of Atlanta, GA and Christian Sheline, Ph.D. of St. Louis, MO; and twenty grandchildren.
Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 4/6/2007
