Shawnita Lynn (Hamill) Sterett
Shawnita was born on Feb. 23, 1974 in Talihina, Okla., to her proud parents, Floyd (Sonny) and Debbie Hamill of Hugo, Okla. She grew up in Grant, Okla., before the family settled in Hugo. Then she would go on to graduate with honors as the Valedictorian of Hugo High School in 1991, while she was involved in band, cheerleading, academic decathlon, and being captain of the color guard. She then attended college at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., with honors on full scholarship. She graduated four years later in 1995 with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
She met the love of her life and best friend on the first day at OSU and they married in their freshman year. They have been together since that first day and have made a beautiful life together with their three sons in Frisco, Texas.
Upon graduation, Shawnita worked in San Antonio, Texas, as a Civil Engineer and she was a retail business owner at the same time. Shawnita obtained her Professional Civil Engineering License in Texas in 1998 and maintained it all these years.
They later moved to Frisco for her to work for AutoDesk Incorporated, where she was a top performer for 24 years. Shawnita held many positions over the years and she was currently Senior Director of Americas Account Based Marketing and Global ABM COE Worldwide Marketing. She traveled for AutoDesk to 49 out of 50 states, all over Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia while flying around 4,000,000 miles in her career.
Shawnita loved her family with all her heart. Not only her immediate family, but her aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends who became like family. She loved our family gatherings and especially Thanksgiving at their small ranch, Pokey Tree, in Hugo.
Shawnita was immensely proud of her Choctaw heritage. She studied the history, customs and language and would tell anyone she knew of her upbringing and family history. Her spirit animal was a tortoise or turtle. She had eyes for them walking through the woods in Choctaw County.
Shawnita and her family have been proud members of Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, Texas, for 18 years, where they found a home in Christ and are well supported by a host of friends.
Shawnita was a proud athlete. She changed her life when she started running half marathons, several per year and then cycling where she rode her bicycle 7,000-10,000 miles per year for several years. She was a member of multiple clubs and creator of the Los Locos of NTX where she rode with her cycling family. She was a central figure whenever she was around because she was fun, friendly and smiling and she drew people in wherever she went.
Shawnita was proud of her work on the Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at Oklahoma State University where she was the chair. They recently started a new scholarship and she was so proud of the board’s work and their legacy.
Shawnita was a profoundly intelligent woman who came from humble beginnings and used every opportunity that God gave her to strive for excellence in every facet of life. She leaves a wonderful legacy of love for family, education, hard work, friendship, fellowship, and Christ for her husband and three boys to follow.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents: Marion and Ethel Hamill; Walter and Rosie Hooper and her younger brother, Floyd (Hashi) Hamill, Jr.
Shawnita is survived in death by her husband, Shane Sterett; sons: Zhane, Levi and Drake Sterett of Frisco; parents, Floyd (Sonny) Hamill and Debbie Hamill of Hugo, along with many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home of Frisco, Texas, is in charge of pending arrangements.
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