Wendy Shehadi

Longtime South Lake Tahoe resident Wendy Shehadi died Oct 19, 2017. She was 76.

She was born March 13, 1941, in Reno.

She died in Las Vegas from complications of kidney failure and pneumonia.

Wendy was a graduate of Reno High School and the University of Nevada, Reno, majoring in physical education and English. During her school years she competed in synchronized swimming events and served as a life guard. After UNR graduation she taught PE at Wooster High School.

Wendy and Dick Shehadi married in 1965. In 1969 they purchased Whiteside Chevrolet in South Lake Tahoe, becoming Shehadi Motors with franchises Toyota and Chevrolet, later replacing the latter with Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep and Honda Power Equipment.

Wendy was active in community organizations and associations, beginning with Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe in 1972. She served as president in 1975-76 and was a Sierra Nevada region chair for several years beginning in 1976. Wendy was honored with life membership in 2001.

Wendy served as a trustee of the Barton Memorial Hospital Foundation Board from 1991-97, also serving president for two years. She was a charter member of Heartbeat, the funding start-up for the foundation. She was a past president of the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Bowling League and a member of the Tahoe Choir.

That’s the factual part of some of the contributions Wendy made for the community. The part that will be endless will be the personal memories her family and friends carry with them. Wendy was the friend always to be counted on, the grandmother who awaited the call to learn how the latest events were going, the mother always to be at thousands of games and school events, the wife always supporting the needs of a busy franchise despite the fact that she could be a co-business owner but not a co-franchisee (those were the days, my friend!), the member of organizations to which she gave her all.

Wendy’s warmth, her smile, her interest in everyone around her will never leave the minds of family or friends. Her generous spirit to those in need, her ease of finding just the right words to console a friend, her love of her surroundings as long as family was close, her compassion for those in need of a hug. All were shared generously and will always be held in memory.

Wendy is survived by her husband, Dick, sons Mark and Scott, guardian son Mike Cokeron, grandsons Michael and Ryan Shehadi, brother Richard Rupp, sister-in-law Louise Rupp, brother-in-law Michael Shehadi, and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be on Oct. 28 in Las Vegas. There will be another celebration Nov. 4 at 1pm at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course, 2500 Emerald Bay Road, Meyers.