Shawnte Letrease Adams

Shawnte Letrease Adams, 50, of Germantown, Maryland, passed away on November 12, 2025. She was born on July 4, 1975, in Dayton, Ohio, to Debra Adams and Roland Orr. 

Shawnte spent her early years in Ohio until she and her mother moved to Texas in the ’80s. She attended Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, where she excelled in school, taking honor classes. She joined Business Professionals of America and enrolled in co-op class as a junior, where she attended school half days and worked the other half at NASA Johnson Space Center, before graduating in 1993. 

She attended the University of Houston for a short while and then began working for the Department of Immigration before she moved to Maryland in 1994. 

Her two sons, Joel and Justin, were the light of her life. She was proud of the young men they have become. She beamed when she talked about them, and she talked about them a lot.  

Shawnte continued her career in federal civil service at various agencies, moving her way up the ranks from a student to working in management as the Branch Chief for Contracts. She had proudly completed 28 years of civil service, most recently at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA), Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) as an Embedded Regulatory Counsel.

She was a consummate professional throughout her career, and she made it a point to be kind and honest to everyone, sometimes to a fault. While she was a self-described introvert, Shawnte could easily make friends with anyone and had the gift of gab. If you met her once, you walked away with a new friend for life. She loved her friends and made it a point to show up for them and their children — some of them thought of her as their aunt Tay. While she was a mother to two first and foremost, she was sometimes a mother to others and a friend to even more. She was deeply loved by her friends. She was an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. 

Shawnte had a beautiful smile that lit up the room and a big heart, always caring for others. She loved music, singing, and dancing from an early age. She wanted to know what was going on in the lives of her friends and family and was fiercely loyal. She had a mischievous streak, and she loved horror movies, wrestling, and her many small dogs over the years. She had taken up hobbies of candle making and diamond art, and she was recently sworn in to be a notary in Maryland. She was a devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys, despite the disappointments.

Shawnte was grounded and intentional. She became more spiritual over the last few years, focusing on her relationship with herself, her inner peace, and mental wellness. She was an avid reader, she loved wine, going on walks, and taking care of others. She treated people with respect, and family was everything to her.

She loved this quote: “Live your life free of worries and fears, and love unconditionally with an open heart.” 

That is how she lived her life. She will be greatly missed by family and friends who knew her. 

Shawnte is preceded in death by her father, Roland Orr; her stepfather, Carl Cooper; her maternal grandmother, Maryam Burnett, and grandfather, John Adams; and her paternal grandmother, Katherine Orr. She is survived by her loving mother, Debra Adams Cooper; her two sons, Joel and Justin Brown; her constant companion, Homie; her siblings, Keishia Strahorn, Ashley Orr, Jeffrey Orr, Ebony Orr, and Paris Orr; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Any condolences and cards can be sent to 13006 Mountain Lake Way c/o Joel Brown, Germantown, MD, 20874.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Shawnte’s memory to Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center.

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