Shonda Yvette Lewis

Shonda Yvette Lewis was born on August 3, 1961, in Nashville, Tennessee, to the late, Mr. John T. Lewis, Jr. and the late Mrs. Mary Lafayette (Faye) Ridgeway Lewis. Shonda was the eldest of two children and was affectionately called Puddin’ by her father. Shonda was blessed with many God-given talents and she graduated from Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from Spelman College. Shonda was also awarded the Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Clark Atlanta University. After graduation, Shonda went on to work as a transformation and change agent for the next 25 years in both the public and private sectors. Over the years, she worked for Georgia State University and several Fortune 500 companies including the Coca-Cola Company, IBM, UPS, and the Russell Corporation. Shonda also completed the People Development Program at the Disney Institute and a Human Resource Development Certificate at Kennesaw State University to further secure her place and status as an organizational effectiveness leader in the industry. She also started her own consulting company, Ridgeway Lewis Consulting, LLC.

Shonda accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at Christ the King Catholic Church in Nashville. She later joined the Ben Hill United Methodist Church (UMC) in Atlanta, Georgia where she remained an active and dedicated servant of Christ until her recent relocation to Jacksonville, Florida. Shonda served as a Career Consultant and Coach at Ben Hill UMC for over seven years where she was able to fuse her vast work experiences and the work of Christ together for the betterment of the Church and the Community. Shonda’s community outreach also included her service as a Board Member and Board President for the Atlanta Diversity Managers Advocacy Group. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

When not engaged with the Church and other volunteer activities, Shonda enjoyed reading and running in her spare time. As a member of the South Fulton (Atlanta, Georgia) Running Partners – the longest-standing organized African-American running club in the nation – Shonda participated in the Peachtree Road Race each and every year (23 years) and to know her was to know that you too might be recruited to join her for the annual event.

Shonda loved, loved, loved spending time with family and friends. She was devoted to attending family events to celebrate holidays, birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. If you were fortunate enough to receive a gift from her it would be a well thought out gift with deep meaning. Shonda had a great sense of humor and her infectious laugh could be heard from miles away. She was a master storyteller and her stories often ended with everyone laughing along with her.

Left to cherish many memories are her brother, Juan T. Lewis (Kyoko) of Huntington Beach, California, nephew Chaise S. Lewis; aunts, Mrs. Theodora Howell, Mrs. Gloria Lewis, Mrs. Portia Ridgeway, Mrs. Arlene Ridgeway and Mrs. Lolita Ridgeway; uncle, Dr. Richard A. Hogg, Sr. and a host of cousins and close friends.

Memorial Service will be held at 2pm on Saturday October 26, 2019 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses Springfield Congregation, 125 East 17th Street, Jacksonville, Florida. Burial will take place at 11am on Monday October 28, 2019 at Greenwood Cemetery 1428 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, Tennessee.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Shonda to Spelman College.