FALL 2021 | LAKE OCONEE LIVING 49
several projects over the years, was on board with the
tour from the very beginning and remembers Meder’s
passion for the whole concept.
“We thought we were doing a good thing by raising
a lot of money for Habitat and donating our time to
build the houses,” she says. “But Shane got to know the
homeowners during construction and then he wanted
to furnish the houses. He wanted everybody to be at
that deserving level. He was always thinking bigger,
wanting to do more. That’s what was so incredible
about him.”
Broughton says Meder would meet with future Habitat
homeowners to help with selections of paint colors,
cabinets, countertops and flooring, oftentimes leaving
them in tears of joy. He encouraged his clients
to donate the furniture they were replacing to
the Habitat ReStore which further benefited
Habitat.
“His huge heart poured into us in ways we
could not have imagined,” Broughton says. “We
were so blessed to call him our friend. He will be
forever missed.”
Meder was a celebrated designer both at Lake
Oconee and in Atlanta where he spent most of
his career. His countless clients over the years
inevitably became friends. He continued to share
in their life’s journey, celebrating milestones
marked in their new homes, and even officiated
his fair share of their weddings.
As he and his husband, Don Schoenberger,
transitioned into full-time residents at their
home on Lake Oconee, the Black Sheep Cottage,
it was important to become involved in their new
community. Meder began lending his talents
to various philanthropic projects including the
Heart & Soul Gala to benefit St. Mary’s Good Samaritan
Hospital, the Lake Oconee Food & Wine
Festival to support education, and of course, the
Showcase of Homes for Greene County Habitat,
among many others.
“We live in a community where everybody contributes
so much and he made us all look bad,” says Ruhl.
“We all do plenty and think that’s enough, but Shane
took it to the next level.”
He used his gift of entertaining to enhance the events,
adding an exclusive VIP reception for homeowners
and sponsors of the Showcase of Homes, creating a
wildly-popular launch party for the Food & Wine Festival,
and offering one of the highest-bidding auction
items at the Heart & Soul Gala – an afternoon boat
ride, mini home tour, and dinner at the Black Sheep
Cottage. If there was a bidding war, he’d provide two.
“If everyone would just pick up one tiny little piece
and just do one thing that he did, that’s how to carry
on his legacy,” says Ruhl, “because there’s no way one
person can. No one is big enough.”
Schoenberger says he couldn’t have asked for more of
an outpouring of support from the community. “People
want to make sure their loved one is remembered
and that has not been an issue for me,” he says. “I know
that Shane will live on in so many ways.”
He says St. Mary’s is planning a memorial garden
in his name on the hospital grounds that will have a
fountain and multiple benches for reflection.
The Lake Oconee Food & Wine Festival is establishing
a special scholarship in his honor to support local
students.
And, in time for this year’s tour, the Showcase of
Homes created a special sponsorship designation,
the Shane Meder Circle of Friends. A percentage of
these donations will be set aside each year to cover
unanticipated needs of Habitat homeowners and their
children.
“For Shane, Habitat was all about the love of home,”
says Schoenberger. “It was about building a place for
families to create memories and that’s why we were so
passionate about giving our time and efforts to Habitat.
With his obvious love of home, being able to give
that to a family in need is just the greatest gift.”