Deane Shwab Vermilya

Deane Shwab Vermilya, age 62, died on August 15, 2022 at her home in Lynchburg, VA with her adoring family by her side.  Dea, as she was known, was born July 7, 1960 in Berkeley, CA, the daughter of George Augustus Shwab III and Barbara Lydick Shwab.  She moved to Lafayette, CA as a young child, where she resided until 1975 when the family moved to her father’s hometown of Nashville, TN.  Dea graduated from Brentwood Academy and received her B.A. from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.  She obtained an M.Ed. from The College of William and Mary the following year with a concentration in learning disabilities.  She taught at Perrymont Elementary School and First Presbyterian Church Weekday School prior to becoming a stay-at-home mother.   She also briefly taught part-time at New Vistas School when her children were young and frequently served as a substitute teacher at James River Day School while her children were enrolled there.  Later, after her children completed college, she taught at St. John’s Day School until her retirement in 2016.

Dea enjoyed her home and garden as well as volunteer work, serving St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as co-chair of the holiday bazaar and as acolyte director for several years.  She also enjoyed helping with St. Paul’s Backpack Ministry in addition to volunteering at Daily Bread and the Lynchburg Humane Society.  Dea loved small children and animals, especially her cat, Primrose.  She was a longtime parishioner of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was a member of the Lynchburg Garden Club.

Predeceased by her parents, Dea is survived by her husband, George Douglas Vermilya, Jr. and her three children: Emily Vermilya Phillips and her husband, Zachary, of Forest; George Douglas Vermilya III and his wife, Carly, of Fredericksburg; and Sidney Hyatt Vermilya and his wife, Jenna, of Lynchburg.  She is also survived by a grandchild, Chloe Deane Ambrose Phillips, and a sister-in-law, Martha Ann Vermilya, of Lynchburg.   She also leaves behind a brother, George.

The family would like to thank Dr. Matthew P. Elliott and the UVA ALS Clinic staff, Amber Gardner, Westminster at Home Hospice and Joyce Gentry for their devotion, care and compassion for Dea and our family.

A funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at 11am, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 605 Clay Street, Lynchburg, VA with The Reverend Todd Matthew Vie officiating.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to The ALS Association, 30 W. Gude Drive, Suite 150, Rockville, MD 20850 or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 605 Clay Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504 or Lynchburg Humane Society, 1211 Old Graves Mill Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502.

 

Tharp Funeral Home, 220 Breezewood Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502 is serving the family.