Shirley Gunesch

Born Shirley Virginia Morton in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 27, 1920, she was the daughter of Sidney and Doris (Starkweather) Morton. As a young girl she lived in Lockport, New York. The family later moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where she graduated from high school and attended nearby Goshen College. After college she met and married Raymond Gunesch in 1944. They lived for a short time in Sitka, Alaska, while Ray was in the Coast Guard and, attracted by the natural beauty of Oregon, they decided to settle near Gresham, where they raised their 3 sons: Douglas (deceased), James, and William. Except for a short period when she taught kindergarten in Fairview, Shirley chose to stay home with her three boys. She baked hundreds of cookies, canned fruit and vegetables from the family garden, volunteered for PTA and Booster groups and never missed a one of the sports or musical events that her sons participated in. Ray and Shirley never lost their love for the beauty of their adopted state. They filled their leisure time with family camping adventures, skiing on Mt. Hood and trips to the Oregon Coast. Shirley was a long-time member of First Church of Christ Scientist in Gresham and for many years she was a Christian Science practitioner. After Ray died in 1983, she moved to Powell Valley Assisted Living Community, where she enjoyed participating in volunteer activities and working in the rose garden. In recent years, as her mobility declined and her memory faded, Shirley moved to Tabor Crest II Memory Care, where she lived for the remainder of her days under the loving care of the staff there.

Shirley was a caring and engaged mother, grandmother, church member, friend and wife. A most cheerful, positive and fun-loving woman, she will be remembered with deep love, gratitude and affection by those who knew her, especially her two surviving sons, three daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and six great- grandchildren. Shirley will be interred at Sunset Hills Memorial Park. Donations may be made in her name to First Church of Christ Scientist, Gresham or World Wildlife Fund.

Services will be held privately at Sunset Hills Memorial Park. If you would like to visit Shirley, please call 503-292-6654 and our staff will be happy to assist you find her resting place.