Deanna Genua Shanley, died on July 13, 2020, while a patient in the Christiana MICU. The cause of death was heart related chronic illness. Deanna was 73 years of age.
She was born in Washington D.C. in 1947. She married her husband of 51 years, Peter Shanley on June 9, 1969. Deanna has two daughters. Elissa who is married to Tony Davis and lives in Wilmington and Johanna who is married to Brian Westenbroek and lives in Fairfax Virginia. Deanna has four grandchildren, Kyrin Davis, Annika Westenbroek, and twins Declan and Liam Westenbroek. Deanna is also survived by her brother, Michael Genua of Rockville Maryland.
In addition to being a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and sister, Deanna taught world history at Ursuline, Salesianum and Sanford, Her Ursuline and Sallies students who read this obituary will remember the AP World History sessions in Deanna’s Great Room in front of the fire with her beloved dog DUFFY at their feet. All of her AP students passed the exam, most with scores of 4 and 5. Deanna was a master teacher who loved Ursuline, Sallies and Sanford.
All her Sallies students each year had to take Deanna’s famous map test. Each student had to identify countries on a world map and were required to correctly spell the name of each country. Those students who were fortunate enough to have their answers graded by Deanna’s husband Peter, who is a notoriously bad speller, receive, in many cases, a higher grade than the students graded by Deanna.
After Deanna retired from teaching, she volunteered with the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Lung Association and Mary Mother of Hope House, where she would read to children about the adventures of the Cat in the Hat. Deanna also advocated for the children’s mothers to try to secure support from absent fathers. In many cases, the fathers were in the military and Deanna became an expert in tracking them down and placing an attachment on their wages so that support payments would then be paid directly to the mothers. When Deanna moved to Highland Place in 2007, she connected with the Principal at St Ann’s School to volunteer to read to the younger children and did so for many years until her health forced her to stop to her great disappointment. She so loved her St Ann’s “audience” and they loved her back.
Deanna graduated from Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in Washington, D.C. in 1970 with a BA in World History. Prior to attending Dunbarton, Deanna attended the Boston Conservatory of Music as a voice major specializing in opera. She was a true Renaissance woman, knowledgeable in world history, music, art, and ballet. She was also an accomplished painter and pianist. She is missed by her family and her many friends but they know she is now with her mother Helen, her beloved grandmother Nanni and her special friend Homer Schul who passed in 2006.
To honor Deanna’s life well lived, please consider a donation in her memory to Planned Parenthood or The Ministry of Caring, Inc FBO the Mary Mother of Hope House.
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