Rev. Brunette A. Shamlin
4/19/2020
Reverend Brunetta Aldridge Shamlin departed this life for the loving arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on April 19, 2020 after 82 years of bountiful life marked by accomplishment, leadership, service and love and devotion to God and family. Reverend Shamlin was born on May 10, 1938 in Opelousas, LA, to the union of Reverend Frank and Evelyn Green Aldridge. She was the youngest of six children. Her family instilled strong Christian values and as a result, she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior at an early age. Neely United Methodist, where her father was pastor, became her church home.
She responded to her call to ministry in 1993. She earned a degree in Theology from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas in 1995. After serving many years as a devoted member, Reverend Shamlin went on to become a diaconal minister in Christian education at Neely United Methodist Church. In 1998, she was ordained a Deacon in Full Connection in the area of Christian education with the Louisiana United Methodist Church Annual Conference. She served in this capacity at Neely, Saint Peter, and Hope Community United Methodist Churches where she retired from the ministry in 2007. She remained a member of Hope Community United Methodist Church until her death.
Reverend Shamlin graduated from McKinley High School and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Southern University and A&M College in 1960. She also completed her Master's Degree in Supervision and Administration and plus 30 graduate hours from Southern University in 1966. She received her ED.S. Certification for Education Guidance Counseling, from Louisiana State University in 1975. Reverend Shamlin began her teaching career at McKinley High School. She served as a Guidance Counselor, and later as a Hearings Officer for Child Welfare and Attendance for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Reverend Shamlin will always be remembered by the many people she nurtured and touched throughout her career as an educator.
It was while she matriculated at Southern University that Reverend Shamlin would meet and marry Gwynn Lance Shamlin from Monroe, Louisiana. The couple was married in 1965, and they became the proud parents of four children, Gwynn II, Kenyatta, Tasha and Marc. Reverend Shamlin's proudest accomplishments were serving God in ministry, raising and educating her four children, and serving as founder and Director of Neely United Methodist Church's Contemporary Voices of Joy. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Just as in Matthew 4:19, she was not only a fisherman of men but also an avid fisherman. She could be found many weekends sitting on the edge of the lake at her daughters' homes casting her reel. She loved fashion, and enjoyed wearing fine clothing and jewelry. Reverend Shamlin was preceded in death by her parents:Reverend Frank and Evelyn Aldridge; and her siblings: Nahum Melvin Aldridge, Frank Aldridge III, Naomi Thornton, Ellen Ervin Lafayette and Maude Hillard. She leaves a living legacy of love and caring in her devoted husband and life partner of fifty-five years, Dr. Gwynn Shamlin Sr; her children: Atty. Gwynn Shamlin (Shilonda), Dr. Kenyatta Haynes (Shawn), Dr. Tasha Shamlin, and Marc Shamlin (Jennifer); her grandchildren: Gwynn III (Tre'), Connor, Londyn , Evelyn, Lauryn, and Brent, a grandchild by affection; her sister-in-law, Lynn Shamlin Robinson, and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives
