The Meade County Messenger

PATRICIA SHACKLETTE WOLPERT

Patricia Shacklette Wolpert, 60, passed away Tuesday, June 1st. Her husband and family were at her side.

Born October 21, 1949, in Louisville, KY., Patricia was the beloved wife of John Wolpert, youngest daughter of Patch and Kathryn Shacklette, sister of Marie Rexroat (Jerry), Gail Shacklette DeMaria (John) and Larry Shacklette; aunt to his daughters Alicia and Angela, and loved by John’s sister and brothers and many nieces and nephews.

After graduating from Meade County High School and earning a degree at Western Kentucky University, Patricia joined IBM in Louisville in 1972, becoming the first female IBM sales representative in Louisville. She climbed rapidly through the IBM sales organization, holding many senior executive positions in North and South America. After a 30 year career with IBM she retired in 2003 as Vice President, Sales Transformation, Americas. Patricia was a role model and mentor to many. Her unique balance of intelligence, business acumen and charm were highly valued and often led to breaking ground as the first female to hold many senior positions reserved for IBM’s “best and brightest”. Later as the owner and principle of Wolpert Consulting she was engaged by ABB, a Swiss – Swedish engineering conglomerate from Zurich. Patricia has been a director of Teradyne, Inc., in Boston MA since 1996 and has been the Chair of the Board of Directors since 2007. Since 2006, Patricia has served as a Director on the Board of Lam Research Corporation, Fremont CA.

Patricia was also a patron of the arts, demonstrating her passion for New York City theatre by serving on the Board of Directors of the Roundabout Theatre Company. While on the board from 1995 thru 2005, her leadership helped fund and acquire the American Airlines Theatre and Studio 54 where numerous Broadway productions have continued to be staged. Since 2005, her role on the Roundabout’s Leadership Council contributed to their becoming one of the country’s leading not-for-profit cultural institutions.

Despite her hectic business schedule, Patricia also found the time to provide executive leadership to local civic organizations. She held positions on the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the Boards of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of New York City and the NYC Partnership and Chamber of Commerce.

Patricia and her husband of thirty-seven years worked together to build a happy “cross country commuting” marriage that enabled both careers to flourish. John and Patricia are residents of Jeffersonville, IN. and seasonal residents of Naples, FL.

Patricia’s finest achievement has been as a devoted wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.
During Patricia’s year-long battle with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, she has been helped by the outstanding care of Geoffrey and Roger Herzig, nationally recognized specialists at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville, and by all the dedicated nurses and staff at both the Cancer Center and University of Louisville Hospital BMT Wing. Her positive and gracious attitude during her battle with cancer was an inspiration to all around her.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, June 5, at 11 a.m. at the Brandenburg United Methodist Church, Brandenburg, KY. (http://www.bburgumc.org/contact.asp) Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home conducted the services. It was followed by a reception in Patricia’s honor at the Family Life Center. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Bone Marrow Transplant Program, 552 East Market, Suite 102, Louisville, KY 40202. Online condolences may be made at www.bjsfunerals.com.
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