For more than four decades, Shirley and Larry Seward have made their mark on the Dublin community in more ways than one.
With service-driven roles and involvement in boards across art, exercise and education, as well as numerous initiatives uplifting people of color and multicultural history, the couple has led their lives with compassion and care for those around them.
Where it started
Shirley Seward
Their lives converged at Tufts University in Boston, where Cleveland native Larry and Brooklyn-born Shirley met, fell in love and got married in 1973.
Following graduation, they started their careers in Boston and stayed there for about a decade. There, sociology graduate Shirley began working in retail, and political science and government and urban planning graduate Larry continued with the Department of Defense after interning there in college. Larry then transitioned into a role for the Small Business Administration, ultimately leading to a new job opportunity in Columbus. This drove them to find a new home nearby and led to their Dublin move, where their family grew and blossomed.
Service to others
Throughout their careers, the couple continued to pivot, with Larry moving from business development to banking to law, and Shirley working as a computer instructor and course developer before becoming a stay-at-home mom for their two kids, Tara and Scott.
Ray LaVoie
With both kids now grown, they continue to stay active, both taking on post-retirement jobs.
For Larry, this includes working as the Outreach and Constituents Director for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a role he has held since 2017. In this role, Larry oversees district activities with the Congresswoman and her committees, as well as acting as a liaison across financial and insurance institutions, housing and non-profit agencies, veteran service and military installations.
Shirley has worked as a navigator for OhioKAN for the past three years – an organization where she connects with adoptive and kinship families. Drawing from her sociology background and love of listening to people, she helps curate a tailored list of resources, from caregiving options to financial assistance.
“It’s a process, but I find the families are just so happy to have someone who listens, because they’re frustrated with the system,” Shirley says. “So, when we answer the phone, and we’re engaging, they relax, and I think the walls come down, and they’re able to see that someone really cares about them. That’s a very, very satisfying (feeling).”
Alongside their work, they have both been involved in various organizations and nonprofits, fostering their passion for working with older adults. This can be seen through Larry’s work on the board of LifeCare Alliance and Shirley’s volunteer efforts with its Meals-on-Wheels and VoiceCorps programs. They have also done work as parts of the board for the King Arts Complex.
They also continue to work closely with initiatives through their church, St. John AME, and on conservation efforts at Lucy Depp Park.
“We just believe our volunteer work is to help and keep that history alive. And it’s not just Black history, (which) is clearly important to us. We’ve been passionate about volunteering and working in the community,” Larry says.
Dedicated to education
Shirley Seward
Through their involvement across various boards and fields, education and helping children have remained at the forefront of their mission.
Becoming a stay-at-home mom in the early 1990s, Shirley started working in the classroom with the PTO to stay involved in their kids’ education. Through her involvement, she helped highlight diversity by reading books and scheduling events to help teach the children about historical events and multicultural holidays such as Kwanzaa.
“I just tried very hard to enlighten everyone. It wasn’t just for my children, it was for all the children, and I could really see their smiles when I would read certain books to them, because they see different pictures, and some look like them. That was very satisfying for myself and also for the children, so I just made a habit of being as involved as a parent as possible,” Shirley says.
Shirley Seward
Over time, she also became involved with Dublin Education Foundation, where her work primarily focused on providing teaching grants. She also joined groups such as the district's Diversity Task Force and Dublin Parents of Black Students to continue her work on encouraging multicultural education.
Now, Shirley continues her involvement through the PTO for her grandchildren alongside her daughter, Tara, from a more distant role by attending special events and providing feedback on the curriculum.
Shirley also enjoys teaching exercise and wellness as a fitness instructor. For more than 18 years, she has taught group fitness classes such as Zumba at Carriage Place Recreation Center and St. John AME. Over the years, she has also taught fitness at the schools, Cardinal Health and more.
Rachel Villalobos/Kay Media
While Shirley has been involved with fitness and the schools, Larry has been involved with education from a different angle – first as a founding board member of the organization See Kids Dream, which provides service-learning curriculum to support schools across central Ohio.
In 2011, Larry and Shirley founded their own service-learning and mentorship program, Boys to Men, Girls to Women, which allows students to learn accountability and career readiness skills through work on a community garden initiative at Lucy Depp Park and interaction with industry professionals across the medical, law, police and fire industries.
Ray LaVoie
Ray LaVoie
Inspiring next generations
Their involvement keeps them very busy, as they run the mentorship program alongside work, volunteering and supporting their grandchildren in sports and extracurriculars.
Watching their grandchildren grow into high school and college, they are reminded of the projects their children have been involved with and continue to see importance in teaching the next generations about giving back to the community.
“That’s our focus long term, showing our grandchildren that not only can you volunteer, but you have to do it, make it a lifetime commitment,” Larry says.
This is a mindset they have brought with them in the mentoring program, emphasizing that all the kids stay involved in the community through work or volunteering. “It’s better to give than receive, and there is a certain pleasure you get from helping others. We try to be those types of folks,” Shirley says.
“And we pass it on to the kids,” Larry adds.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
