Pleshette DeArmitt, chair and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, has died. Professor DeArmitt work was in contemporary continental philosophy, feminist theory, psychoanalysis, and social and political thought. Before taking up a position at Memphis, she held held visiting positions at Grinnell College and Villanova University.

The department at Memphis has posted a memorial notice on its home page. An excerpt:

It is with great sadness that the Department of Philosophy announces the sudden passing of Professor Pleshette DeArmitt, Chair and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Memphis. 

Professor DeArmitt was a beloved teacher, mentor, and colleague. A leading scholar in the philosophical work of Julia Kristeva, Prof. DeArmitt joined the department in 2006, after holding visiting appointments at Grinnell College and Villanova University. She received her MA and PhD from DePaul University and her BA from Duquesne University. She had served as Chair of the Department of Philosophy since 2013.

Among her many honors and leadership positions, Prof. DeArmitt was a 2010 recipient of the American Post-doctoral Research Fellowship, awarded by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). She also served as the President of Société Américaine de Philosophie de Langue Française (SAPLF) and on the Committee on the Status of Women for the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP).

UPDATE: Leigh M. Johnson (Christian Brothers Univ.) shares her thoughts about DeArmitt here.

UPDATE 2 (4/16/15): The University of Memphis Daily Helmsman has a brief article on DeArmitt.