Seth Shannahan Jewell

Seth Shannahan Jewell died peacefully at her home on Monday, May 28, 2018. Born Martha Seth Darrow, September 19, 1927, she was the daughter of James Edgewood Darrow and Virginia Seth (Gallup) Darrow. She was descended from numerous early Talbot County families, with one of her ancestors arriving in Maryland with Lord Baltimore in 1634. She grew up on Morris Street in Oxford, attended Easton High School and in 1948 graduated from Westhampton College of the University of Richmond, where she majored in journalism. As a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, she interviewed the winner of the Delmarva Peninsula Golf Tournament William E. (Bill) Shannahan, II, whom she married in 1949. He died in 1966. In her teens and twenties, Seth was an avid sailor of penguins. She also pursued a lifelong interest in waterfowl hunting at Ashland Farm and was a member of the Talbot Rod and Gun Club. She bred and trained Labrador retrievers and competed in Field Trials. Her life’s passion, however, was promoting humane treatment of animals. For years she served as the president of the Talbot County Humane Society and led many cruelty investigations. Seth also found time to be active in the Junior Golf Program of the Talbot Country Club. In 1973, she married Corwin T. Jewell who died in 1997. For most of her life, Seth was a member of the Church of the Holy Trinity (Oxford) and had also been a member of Christ Episcopal Church (Easton). As a young widow, Seth said that she was not ready to retire to the bridge tables and joined Helaine White Realty. In 1975, she and Corwin Jewell founded Shoreline Realty, where she had a productive career that spanned two decades. Mrs. Jewell is survived by two sons, William E. Shannahan, III (Jeanne) and Robert G. Shannahan; daughters, Jennifer S. Shannahan (John Bunch) and Ann Jewell (Steve Farber); granddaughters, Danielle Seth Davis, Kate Shannahan Gillmore (Don), and Carley D. Wescott (Stephen); a grandson, Wm. Gaines Shannahan; and one great-granddaughter, Sophia Seth Davis. Seth’s older brother, John O. G. Darrow died in 2004. She is also survived by two half-sisters, Mary Gregg Darrow Hutchins and Susan Darrow. Over the past five years, Seth was surrounded by her children and by her devoted caregivers Brenda Hall, Chris Eckert, Alfreda Copper, Ashley Hall, Vicki Brice, Betty Anne Bomberger, Cora Stanley, and Demayshia Holmes. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, at the Church of the Holy Trinity, in Oxford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Talbot Humane Society, 7894 Ocean Gateway, Easton, MD 21601; or to the Oxford Museum, Box 131, Oxford, MD 21654.

Seth Shannahan Jewell

September 19, 1927 - May 28, 2018