I have such great memories of Yonna.  I served as an editor back in the early nineties and always enjoyed visiting with her in that office down on the end of the building.  She was so helpful and supportive to me and I am better for having known her.  Rest In Peace my friend! 

Such a wonderful person . . . all of my memories of her have that great smile! I remember all the hours working on manuscripts and wrestling with early word-processing software (WordStar?) -- but she was always such a positive influence.
-M. Glenn Curran, III (Mercer Law, '85)

I was very sorry to hear about Yonna's passing. 

It was great working with her at the  Mercer Law Review.  Yonna was always very pleasant and helpful.

My deepest  sympathies and condolences to her family.

Mark Segal
Class of 1985

I will always have good memories of Yonna. She was so sweet and good to me. May she RIP. Love to you all and prayers for peace and comfort.

Natalie,
I am so sorry to hear about your mom's passing. She was always a sweet and caring woman. My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.

When I learned of Yonna's passing I was immediately flooded with wonderful memories of her during my time on Law Review (1979-1981).  She ran a tight ship, but was always available to answer questions and  provide guidance to us as law students who just thought we ran the Law Review.  My best memory of Yonna is calling her from my associate's position in Columbus for her to check and see if I had passed the Bar.  She had the list of those that passed before anyone else it seemed, and in her good humored way she paused for what seemed like an eternity before she told me the good news.
God bless Yonna and prayers for her family.  There will never be another like her.

I am very saddened to hear the news of Yonna's passing. Yonna was so wonderful to work with and was just a fun, kind person. She held a special place for our family, having worked on the Law Review with both my dad and myself - a testament to her longevity at Mercer! Any good Editor-in-Chief knew that the Mercer Law Review wasn’t successful without Yonna! Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.

I’m so sorry to hear about Yonna! We were best friends  at Weir and inseparable throughout Elementary School! I’m very thankful for all the special memories we made! Please know I’m praying for all of you for God’s strength and peace during this difficult time!❤️🙏

I am saddened by Yonna's passing to her heavenly home. She was ALWAYS sweet, helpful, caring and exceedingly professional in her work for the law school. My interaction with her while on the law review was one of my most pleasant memories of my education at Mercer. EVERY DAY she had that beautiful smile, helping attitude and wonderful spirit that made you want to actually go talk to her, even if you really didn't have much Law school business to conduct. I also had the privilege to work with her one summer, which like all experiences with Yonna was a GREAT JOY. She should enter heaven as one of the top angels, because she certainly was that on earth!

Mike McRae

I think Yonna had not been at Mercer very long when I began law school in 1976.  We were both so very young.  Of course, I didn’t realize how young we were back then, but I certainly knew how lost I was.  I don’t remember the things I asked her, but I remember her kind way and her big smile.  I think I would just drop by her office for  a bit of comfort!

I took a journey back in time  when I learned of Yonna Shaw 's passage  home and saw the photograph of her at her desk in the Law Review.  I don't remember the last time we spoke ...its been years but I will always remember that  she  made  a young struggling law student who was still trying to figure  out how he had fooled his first year professors  feel  like I belonged on Law Review. I was part of something  bigger than me...  and I was pretty full of myself at the time. Yonna was special  and she  made each of us feel special, anyone who was fortunate enough to be around her for any time was better off for the experience. Yonna made a difference ..she touched lives,  she changed lives for the better and she  made it look easy. Yonna got another promotion...she has reached the top... and the crew better shape up !!! May her family and loved ones find peace in knowing that heaven is a little brighter now!!! 

I was very saddened to learn of Yonna's passing.  I served as the Georgia Survey Editor from 1998 to 1999 and, as with all things Law Review, she was absolutely essential in bringing that edition to print.  She was the best and will be sorely missed.  My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

My interactions and personal experience with Ms. Shaw were limited outside of the Law Review. However, I cannot easily separate my experience as a Mercer student with my experience on the Law Review. It's where I spent much of my time and it's where some of my most vivid memories were made. Ironically enough, I struggle to put Ms. Shaw's impact into words. Her wealth of knowledge, penchant for patience, and obvious dedication to the school and its pursuits may well be unmatched. She was, for all intents and purposes, the everlasting face of the Law Review. We are better for having known her, and her loss is felt far and wide. May her family find peace knowing she has touched so many lives. 

Forever indebted to you,

Michael Nixon, Esq., J.D., Class of 2012

I remember Yonna for her smile and pleasing to be around - a tough thing to do when constantly surrounded by A-type Law Reviewers. That was long ago (1982), and she kept it up long before and long after. Just wonderful.

Yonna was such an instrumental part of the law review when I was a member from 2006-2008 that we would have never gotten an issue published without her. She was so caring, kind, and down to earth, and working with her was a pleasure. She had a huge impact on so many who knew her, and she will be missed. 

Oh, no! Yonna was the best. She was the "go to" person at law review and talked me off the ledge a number of times while I was managing editor (1987-88).  She was a real friend and a WFG gem. I am so sorry and will be thinking of her family.

I’m not even sure where to start. I was a member of the law review from 1991-1993. I served as senior managing editor in 1992-1993 and worked with Yonna on daily basis.  It’s remarkable how smoothly everything ran with a bunch of kids — and we were kids — scrambling to stay ahead of the piles of manuscripts. It ran that smooth because of Yonna. She was simply remarkable.

I'm deeply saddened, and shocked, to hear of Yonna's passing.  Yonna was so much more than the several titles she held at Mercer Law Review...much more than any of us, she WAS the Law Review.  She both embodied, and taught us, the Honor and high standards that the Law Review stands for, and was never shy about both letting you know your shortcomings, and cheering your successes.  The Law Review, Law School and Mercer Community have suffered a great loss.  Yonna will be sorely missed.


Yonna touched the lives of countless lawyers all over the state of Georgia and the Southeast. I had the true pleasure of working with Yonna for the last nine years-- first as a student at the law school and then as a lawyer editing the Journal of Southern Legal History. She had an eagle eye for detail. She had a love for fellowship. She always gave the most practical advice. She always signed her emails (even the business ones regarding the Journal) "Hugs, Yonna" 

She was a strong woman and a hard worker and had a heart of gold. She will be missed by so many and remembered fondly for a long time. 

Rest in Peace, Yonna. Prayers and love to your family.

Hugs, 

Jacque 

Yonna was a force of nature.   I simultaneously feared her and loved her!  She expected the best, and that is what we tried to give her.  I had the privilege of serving on the Mercer Law review from 2002 to 2004, and on the Editorial Board during 2003-2004.   The respect that Yonna commanded helped us all become better writers,  editors, and lawyers.   I am grateful for her sense of humor and the kindness she showed to us all those years ago.  I send my sincerest condolences to her family. 

Yonna was a very kind, sweet and caring person.  She always made all who served with Law Review feel at home and that they had a friend.   I know she will be greatly missed.

I loved reading the story written by Ms. Shaw's cousin. Being partially raised on a farm I could see it happening as I read! I never met Ms. Shaw but because of her, we have Christy and her family. Christy and Chad do great works in our town & have helped countless people in various ways. On behalf of myself, my mother & our family, along with the members of Buy Nothing Long Beach & The Neighbor's Nest Group, prayers are sent. May God bless you all. *One of my favorite poems is "The Dash" on you tube by Linda Ellis if anyone cares to watch it. 

Oh my gosh. I can’t believe Yonna is gone. I’m so so sad. I loved her. She was such a fun cousin. I have wonderful memories of her at Uncle Tilden’s farm when we were small. There were adventures every day. I had two favorites. Uncle Tilden told us not to go in that corn field because his pigs and their babies were in there. Well, as soon as we saw those baby pigs in there, we wanted to go in. We didn’t see any mamas around so in we climbed. We started chasing those babies. Yonna finally caught one. That baby was squealing so she did not hear that mama coming through the corn to save her baby. We did. We yelled to Yonna and took off running. Yonna dropped that baby and barely made it over the fence. The next memory involved Uncle Tilden's mule. He told us if we could catch it we could ride it. We spent the whole morning trying to catch that mule. As we were putting the bridle on, we noticed how fat it was. We decided it was pregnant and let it go. We ran to tell Uncle Tilden his mule was pregnant. He started laughing and explained that mules are its and can’t get pregnant. We were so mad after all that hard work. And then there was the time we chewed tobacco in the pasture. Well, I could go on and on. My prayers and condolences to her family. I’m going to miss her so much. 

Graveside Service

She is survived by her children; Jason (Amber) Shaw, Christy (Chad) Whited, Natalie (Blake) Gibson, grandchildren; Carson, Hilliard, and John Douglas Shaw, Brandon (Kaleigh), Hunter, Gavin and Halie Whited, great grandchildren; Lilian and Elizabeth Whited, siblings; Judye Blackburn and Sandra (Bill) Barbour, and several nieces and nephews.

OBITUARY

Yonna Windham Shaw

8 March, 1954 – 30 August, 2020

Snow's Memorial Chapel

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