Shirley Shulman

Shirley Mae (Ellis) Shulman, 93, passed away on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Born to Arthur and Ida Ellis, she and her sister Ruth (Ellis) Green, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Shirley was a proud Glenville High School Tarblooder (Class of 1948) and part of a group of lifelong friends, many of whom met in kindergarten.

Shirley married Jim Shulman, settling in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where they raised three children, Andy, Jon and Ruth.

In her early 40s, she made the bold move – especially given the norms of the era – of enrolling in Cleveland State University’s business school while still raising her kids. Shirley didn’t just survive at CSU, she thrived, graduating with honors (cum laude) in 1978 while earning a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She later achieved the Enrolled Agent certification, allowing her to represent taxpayers before the IRS.

Her career included positions at Hartley Audit in Cleveland, serving as controller at Corporate Jets in Scottsdale, preparing tax returns for a small practice as well as starting her own tax and accounting practice. She came out of retirement to manage the accounting and finance functions at Arcadia Farms Café and to prepare tax returns for several years at H&R Block.

A second major challenge Shirley conquered was making the Phoenix area her permanent home in 1982, moving there with her daughter, Ruth, following her divorce. What had been a vacation home became her adopted hometown, where she forged a new life for herself, living in Scottsdale for her remaining 41 years. That life was filled friends new and old as well as community service as an Old Town Scottsdale Ambassador, a Sky Harbor Airport Navigator and volunteering in the shop at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library.

Shirley enjoyed travel, the arts, fine dining and spending time with good friends. Her travels included senior hostels and cruises and took her to favorite places like Alaska, Israel, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Bryce and Zion National Parks. She was also a longtime season ticket holder at ASU Gammage performing arts center, a fan of American artists (Andrew Wyeth and Dale Chihuly were two of her favorites) and enjoyed dining at Vincent’s on Camelback. She also had several close friends, each of whom greatly enriched her life.

Always independent, Shirley will be remembered for her sharp wit. As she said in her final days, “If I was 73, you’d say I’m sorry you didn’t live longer. At 93, you say I’m sorry you lived so long!” While that may be how she felt, her family and friends would like to have had her around just a little bit longer.

Shirley’s legacy lives on through her children Andrew Shulman (Malissa Zimmerman) of Washington, DC; Jon Shulman (Amber) of Solon, OH; and Ruth Shulman Oliver of Scottsdale, AZ. She is also survived by her grandchildren Nicole, Jake and Anna Oliver, all of Scottsdale, AZ, by nieces and nephews, Amy (Green) Seropian (Rich); Judy (Green) Crippen (Ted), Lisa (Shulman) Piel (Geoffrey), Seth Shulman (Dorothy) and Tony Shulman (Elena) and great nieces Rachel and Emily Seropian.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org) or to the Desert Botanical Garden (https://dbg.org).