Deborah La Vera Schultz , June 15, 1956 — September 13, 2018

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make…” – The Beatles Deborah La Vera Schultz, 62, of Asheville, NC, passed away peacefully on September 06, 2018 surrounded by her daughters, close friends, and loyal cat, Tuya. Born on June 15th, 1956, in the flatlands of Houston, Texas, she was always drawn to the mountains of North Carolina, even after travelling the world. She dedicated her life to teaching Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL).

Never letting language barriers get in the way, Mom taught people of all ages and all cultures. Between teaching, service work, and exploring, Mom stepped foot on five of the seven continents. She taught in Henderson and Buncombe Counties (NC), Asheville City Schools, South Korea, Mongolia, and Columbia (SC) and touched countless lives.

Never one to take things for granted, she travelled to: Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Luxemburg, Italy, Vatican City, Japan, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Australia, New Zealand, and all across the United States. She often travelled with friends she met along the way, but never shied away from travelling alone and creating her own experiences. She was strong and independent.

Just as content to play (and usually win) Words with Friends as she was to attend a music festival or ride a camel through the Gobi Desert, Mom was curious and excited about each and every experience. Everywhere she went, she touched people’s lives; Mom never met a stranger and was open-minded and accepting of everyone. She taught us the value of treating each person as an individual and the art of making people smile.

Even in her final weeks, Mom’s wit, laughter, and dry sense of humor kept us smiling until the end. We learned compassion, curiosity, empathy, and correct grammar from our Mom (she would’ve loved to edit this! ).

She was an avid photographer, stained glass artist, painter, and writer. She was a creative soul through and through, and excelled at any artistic endeavor she pursued. Mom was a free spirit and had a “throw caution to the wind” attitude that kept everyone wondering what she might get into next.

As her father always said, she was “a warm, wonderful human being”. Mom will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.

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