Obituary: Shalom Tazewell, 73

Shalom Tazewell

Shalom Tazewell was born September 29, 1950, in Iowa, and died at home on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the age of 73. Her parents, Jim and Mel Barron, were not just her moral compass, but were the standard for her relationships with other people.

Shalom is survived by Taze, her husband and soulmate of some 30 plus years; three younger brothers and their wives, Eric and Molly Barron, Tim and Eloise Barron, Mike and Amy Barron; nieces and nephews; grand-nieces and grand-nephews; her dog, Odin; and almost 8 billion other people with whom we all share this amazing planet.

Like everyone in her family, Shalom was an avid reader, but she was a lackluster student, preferring instead to make good trouble. Her parents were active in the civil rights movement in both Richmond and Atlanta in the ‘60s which helped to shape Shalom’s awareness of injustice and the damage it does to communities, individuals, and democracy. During her junior year in Atlanta, she volunteered for a youth program at Ebeneezer Baptist, Dr. Martin Luther King’s church. She was suspended from high school more than once for “distracting other students,” refusing to sing Dixie at pep rallies, and wearing a black armband when Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered. Shalom continued to make good trouble at a college in Ohio, organizing a walkout of the women’s dorm because their lights-out time was an hour earlier than that of the men’s dorm and a weekly peace vigil at the cafeteria.

She found her niche, when she and Taze moved to West Virginia in 1993. Before even unpacking her suitcase, she volunteered with the Three Rivers Avian Center, the WV Sierra Club, and the adult literacy program at the Summers County Public Library. Within a few years, she was employed by the library as the coordinator of the adult education program. She started an adult ESOL program in Raleigh County and helped to organize a correctional center literacy program, training incarcerated women and men to help others with improving their reading skills. Shalom found her calling working with adults and would often say, “they have taught me far more about generosity, courage, and perseverance than I have ever taught them.”

In 2016, Shalom retired to organize the Summers County Huddle, a non-profit community advocacy group that promotes social and economic justice and provides opportunities for civic engagement. The work of the Huddle included the community garden and playground on Summers Street and the Kindness mural on 2nd Avenue in Hinton. She also served on the boards of REACHH-FRC, the Appalachian South Folklife Center, Race Matters, Inc., WV Citizens Action Group, WV Can’t Wait, and as chair of the Summers County Commission Dilapidated Structures Committee.

In her spare time, Shalom loved to travel, read, birdwatch, walk with her husband, friends, and at least one dog. Though Shalom lived in 13 different states, she finally put her roots down in West Virginia, loving both the mountains and the people.

The Memorial Service for Shalom will be held from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Saturday, August 17, 2024, at the McCreery Conference Center in Hinton. Shalom asked that her Memorial Service be used as a chance to laugh and share stories and appreciate all that life gives us.

Shalom requested that, in lieu of flowers, friends sign up to feed Taze, so he won’t revert to his tomato soup and frozen Pizza bachelor diet.

Information submitted by Pivont Funeral Home, Hinton, WV.