Myrtie Lea Shehee

Myrtie Lea Shehee of Chestertown, MD, formerly of Baytown, TX, died March 27, 2017, after a brief illness, at the age of 89. She was the daughter of Ivy and Mavis Johnson, and was preceded in death by husband, Durwood Horn, children, Valerie, Stephen and Thomas Horn, and sister, Joyce M. Ocker. She is survived by her daughter, the Rev. Cynthia Horn Burkert (Jack) of Dundalk MD; grandchildren Drew Thiemann (Melody Twigg) of Louisville KY; Ellen Thiemann Cambe (Felipe) of Brooklyn NY; John Burkert Jr (Elif) of Falls Church VA; Christian Burkert (Jessica Carlston) of Dover DE; and great-granddaughter, Malaya Mae Cambe. Lea, as she was known, moved to Chestertown to live near her daughter, after she retired from the human resources department of Mobay Chemical (now Covestro) in Baytown, TX, where she worked from 1972-1992. She previously lived with her second husband, Henry Shehee prior to his death, in Antioch, CA, and Western Springs, IL, where for four years she was the secretary at First Congregational Church and founded a chapter of Parents Without Partners. She was a member of Cedar Bayou-Grace United Methodist Church, Baytown, TX; an associate member of Worton UMC in MD, and a lifetime member of Cedar Bayou (Texas) O.E.S. #11. For several years, Lea was president of the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital volunteer auxiliary and a member of the Postal Committee in Baytown, which was instrumental in getting a new post office for the city; a board member of the Bay Area (Texas) Heritage Society, and volunteer with the Kent County (Maryland) Historical Society. Her collection of antiques and curiosities gave her a lifetime of pleasure, and she was a member of The Questers in both IL and MD. She loved to travel, even riding in the back of an open pickup truck to see the monarch butterflies in Mexico, bargaining in the bazaars of Istanbul, wading in the Mediterranean, or just going to Galveston with “the girls.” She was a skilled needlewoman, and won numerous blue ribbons at the Kent County Fair. When she moved to Chestertown, she bought a compass so that she could explore the County, and still finds her way home, and she only drove up a few farm lanes and driveways by accident. Her friendships were many and varied; she saw the good in people that others overlooked, and in the face of disappointments and challenges, she was a determined problem-solver, always pressing forward. A funeral service will be held at Chase UMC, 6601 Ebenezer Road, Middle River, MD, at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 1, with visiting one hour before. The Rev. Dr. Frank Trotter is officiating. Interment will be in Baytown, TX.

Myrtie Lea Shehee

September 2, 1927 - March 27, 2017