Debra Pinder Symonette (1957-2009)
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Obituary: Debra Pinder Symonette (1957-2009)
PHILADELPHIA — Debra Pinder Symonette, a longtime East Mount Airy resident, talented craftsperson and educator, who was well-known to legions of area families who matriculated through Philadelphia’s independent, Quaker schools community, died July 22 at Chestnut Hill Hospital. The cause was complications from endometrial cancer, which she battled for nearly a year. She was 52.
Symonette, who lived in the 700 block of East Dorset St. for 25 years, recently concluded her second year of teaching at William Penn Charter School in East Falls, but her ties to Quaker-school education date back to her earliest years. As a first-grader, Symonette enrolled in the Friends Select School in Center City. She completed her undergraduate work at Swarthmore College, a leading Quaker school in suburban Philadelphia. All three of her children, with husband Alan A. Symonette, attended friends schools in Philadelphia.
Debra’s most enduring Quaker-school affiliation was with Greene Street Friends School in Germantown. When sons Andrew, Matthew and Jason attended the school, Symonette was usually nearby; she taught five different grade levels at Greene Street, in a teaching career that spanned two decades. She also served for a period as the Greene Street admissions director. In the latter capacity, Symonette became known to many area families drawn to the friends schools for their academic rigor, small class sizes and instruction grounded in peace, nonviolence and community service.
“Debbie was a big believer in the Quaker value that there is the light of God in everyone, no matter who they are,” said Alan Symonette, a Philadelphia lawyer and labor and employment arbitrator. The two met during their undergraduate years at Swarthmore. “She understood that kids have different ways of learning; she believed that schools should complement the learning style of each child,” he said.
Debra was an art history major at Swarthmore and studied architecture at Houston-based Rice University, where she earned a master’s degree. She later worked as an architect, including tours at leading Philadelphia firms Alesker and Reiff; Livingston Rosenwinkle; and Vitetta Group. In a profession where Computer-Assisted Design has all but made the pencil obsolete, Debra gained a reputation as a skilled free-hand drafter. Locally, she was among only a handful of African-American women working in the field. “The thing about Debbie is, she was so thorough. She was a problem-solver. Everything she did was always perfect — so coordinated, so detailed, so perfect,” said Kristin Mullaney, a longtime friend and co-worker when both were with Alesker and Reiff.
But Symonette’s real passions were always in hands-on creative pursuits and community-building. She very often pursued both through her church home, the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. At FUMCOG, as it is generally known, Symonette started a local chapter of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, which combines knitting and crocheting with prayer — on behalf of people, especially women, in special need of such comfort. “A shawl (made by the group and then given away) ends up being very personal and very loving — it’s a hug. That’s what it is,” said Zelphia Ellerson, a Symonette friend since both attended Philadelphia High School for Girls (class No. 218), who introduced the shawl ministry to Symonette. Mariana Eckardt of FUMCOG said the church’s shawl group would continue under a new name: The Debra Pinder Symonette Prayer Shawl Ministry.
Symonette had been battling endometrial cancer for nearly a year, undergoing a series of surgeries and increasingly more extensive chemotherapy. Surrounded by friends and family, she died in Chestnut Hill Hospital on July 22 — little more than a month after the Symonette family celebrated son Andrew’s recent graduation from Susquehanna University. The cause was pulmonary embolism, a complication from her treatment and disease.
Symonette also founded the Paper Crane Studio, a crafts studio based at FUMCOG. For years, it has been a place for church members and neighbors to come together in quiet reflection and meditation as they engaged in any number of crafts enjoyed by and taught by Symonette; the offerings included doll-making, rubber-stamping, scrapbooking, basket-making, card-making, calligraphy, beading, origami, crocheting, knitting, quilt-making — essentially all of the needle crafts. The studio’s Web site explained the choice of name: “In Japanese culture, the paper crane is a symbol of peace and hope.”
Symonette also taught a variety of crafts at the Mount Airy Learning Tree, the community-based nonprofit. Among her offerings was calligraphy; her skills were such that the Greene Street school and others often relied upon her to produce diplomas for graduates.
Symonette organized “Stitch and Pitch” outings to Philadelphia Phillies games and, some 20 years ago, along with friend Roberta Snow of Drexel Hill, began “Stitch and Bitch” gatherings — this was long before the clever phrasing (for needle crafts and some other activity) became so fashionable. Symonette was an active member of United Methodist Women, a national organization affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The group works to raise awareness of human rights, economic opportunity, and health and quality-of-life issues relevant to women.
Symonette served on the board of directors for Weaver’s Way, the West Mount Airy food co-operative; she also played big roles in the local Nursing Mothers Association, which supports mothers and breastfeeding; and the Babysitting Co-operative, which provides parents with a money-saving alternative for baby-sitting.
In addition to her husband, Alan, and sons, Andrew, 22, Matthew, 19, and Jason, 17, Symonette is survived by her parents, Florence Sheppard and Herbert Pinder; mother-in-law, Lucille S. Brown; sisters, Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, Kristen Pinder and Laural Pinder Jones; brother, Herb Pinder, and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in her honor at 10 a.m. Friday (July 31) at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to any of the following: Greene Street Friends School; Germantown Friends School; William Penn Charter School; Abington Friends School; Swarthmore College, or the First United Methodist Church of Germantown.
