Dr. Delia Sumrall

Dr. Delia Sumrall, DBA, University of Scranton Professor Emeritus, 68, died unexpectedly October 24th at her home.

Born in Meridian, Mississippi, she was the daughter of the late James and Ouida Parker Sumrall. After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Office Administration/Management and Masters of Business Administration at the University of Southern Mississippi, she earned her Doctorate of Business Administration at Mississippi State University.  She taught at the Baruch College of the City University of New York before she joined the University of Scranton in 1992. After nearly 23 years of service as an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Kania School of Management, she retired in 2015 as the Chairperson of the Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Department.  Her tenure as Chairperson ushered in a time of significant growth for the department, and the University will forever be grateful for her service.

Delia will be remembered for her caring heart and southern hospitality. She cooked for the department meetings and her cooking was the best! Many faculty and staff from other departments in KSOM looked forward to the leftovers!

She is survived by her sister Rebecca Sumrall Heishman, two brothers Jim and David Sumrall, her chosen daughter Kellie Green, Kellie's husband Eric and their children (Jonah, Jesse, Heidi Jo, Jude and Ivie Joy), her cherished  "Grandbabies," as well as her nieces Sarah Heishman Moore, Marti Sumrall, and nephew Mitchell Heishman.

She will be greatly missed by her dear friend and colleague Dr. Satya Chattopadhyay, his wife Jhumri, and their two daughters Sudakshina and Kanak, all of whom she dearly loved. She will be remembered fondly by her many former students, friends and colleagues at the university, and also her beloved neighbor Mark Lazar.  Her sweet dog Happy will miss her dearly.

A visitation and memorial service will be held on December 12th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 418 S. State Street, Clarks Summit.  Due to COVID-19, masks will be required for all who attend and only a limited number of people will be permitted inside the funeral home at one time.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to The Kania School of Management at The University of Scranton. To make a contribution, visit Scranton.edu/MakeAGift and select the Kania School of Management from the drop-down menu, or mail your gift to University Advancement, The University of Scranton, 800 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18510.