Shirley Lois Pehrsson

Shirley Lois Pehrsson, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, and dear friend, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2025, in Woodinville, Washington, at the age of 94. Born on March 5, 1931, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Shirley was a beacon of warmth, adventure, and resilience throughout her remarkable life.

Shirley's early years were marked by both joy and hardship. She lost her mother at the tender age of 16 months, an event and young childhood that shaped her strength and independence. Penicillin had not yet been approved in Canada, which likely could have saved her mom Hilda. Shirley’s grandmother Anne moved in with the family — her father Fred, older brother Don and Shirley — to help run the household. Shirley was very close with her father Fred, and together they performed artistic gymnastics poses, even making it into the newspaper with pictures and all. Even as a child, Shirley was driven and spirited — an adventurous soul who loved connecting with people and exploring the world around her.

After graduating high school, Shirley worked in the insurance industry for several years. At 22, she embarked on a life-changing journey aboard the Lurline ship, sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii to visit friends. Captivated by travel, she returned to Vancouver, Canada for a several years to save money for an extended world tour adventure, visiting many interesting places and making wonderful friends along the way. Departing from Canada she traveled to China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Hawaii, England, several countries in Europe, the Suez Canal, across the Mediterranean and the States.

During these travels Shirley lived in Hawaii for a year with some girlfriends from Vancouver and found work as Manager of the Public Relations Department for the five Sheraton Hotels in Waikiki. The office was in the lower level of the pretty pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel, one of the five most famous hotels in the world at that time. Hawaii had been admitted as a State of the United States on August 21, 1959, and on that date a big parade was held in Honolulu celebrating this event. Sheraton had a float in the parade, and Shirley drove their lead car, a yellow Cadillac convertible. She reported in her auto-biography, “I was scared to death as I was accustomed to driving an Anglia, a much smaller 4-cylinder English car. But I survived the parade and scratched no fenders. Some change from the insurance business!”

Then London for a year working in the advertising department of a large fashion house on Bond Street, traveling to Europe on her time off visiting many countries. One of her roommates in London was the niece of the Bishop of Canterbury (“No one could make this up,” Shirley wrote in her autobiography) and the other had family who owned a crystal manufacturing company (“Not Waterford,” Shirley stated). Once again, Shirley boarded a P&O ship using the final segment of her amazing world tour ticket, with a huge box of crystal glassware, and sailed for New York arriving mid-June 1961 in time to keep her American visa current. Shirley finished her trip in New York and settled in working for a Law office on Wall Street.

In 1961, while living in New York and visiting friends at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, Shirley met her prince charming, Captain Bob Pehrsson. They were married soon after and began their life together, moving to different Air Force bases. During this time, they had two children, Robert and Karen. They were first stationed in New Jersey, then Massachusetts and then Utah. Finally settling in Washington (Bob’s parents, Ralph and Jean followed). Bob’s career in the Air Force required regular deployments to Vietnam, he flew weekly into Vietnam from 1969-1972. In Shirley’s autobiography, she remarked “Bob may have been the only military man there whose wife had been to Vietnam before him.” Bob retired as a Major and began a new venture as the Manager for his brother-in-law Don’s sign company in Mukilteo. They built their dream home and raised a loving family filled with adventure, joy, and shared purpose. They were pleased to be closer to family who lived just over the border in Tsawwassen, BC, Canada — father Fred and step-mother Vera, Shirley’s brother Don and wife Ethel and their five children (Mike, Mark, Valerie, Janice and Tom). Shirley, Bob, Rob and Karen (and often beloved dog Pepsi) loved visiting a few times a year, enjoying the large family energy and amazing family feasts (thanks to gourmet chef brother, Don!). The kids loved swimming in their indoor pool and jacuzzi with their cousins. In anticipation for these road trips north, Shirley made sure the fun had begun, she would play an uplifting festive song, a 45 vinyl record “Come up to Canada” (also knowns as “Canada, The Centennial Song” from 1967) as they packed and prepared to hit the road. Shirley was an astute business woman, having made investments such as real estate. Shirley was a real estate broker for a few years and then she worked as a tax advisor and preparer for a tax filing firm. She was financially savvy and great with numbers. Shirley sought for the best value in all that she pursued — most everything Shirley touch incredibly prospered, not only personally but for her friends and community as well. She enjoyed helping friends file their taxes and Shirley founded Olympus Terrace Garden club back in the mid to late 1970’s, which we are told is alive and well today!

Bob and Shirley were a strong pair — active in the community, bridge groups, gourmet club and always surrounded by friends and family. Shirley knit incredibly detailed Seahawk cardigan sweaters for she and Bob and so many of their very dear neighborhood friends — Shirley ensured they all were stylish super fans for their game day get-togethers. As a family they enjoyed boating, water skiing and vacationing to Southern California and Hawaii. Shirley enjoyed cooking and made incredible goulash and bran-muffins. One of the kids’ early memories was when Bob brough home live lobsters and momentarily released them on the back lawn, Karen and Rob were in such amazement of such a sight — watching live lobsters crawling about. They faced the hard times together with such great strength and love. Bob’s dad Ralph lived with them for his last couple of years, passing away in 1985 at the age of 90. Shirley’s father Fred passed in 1988 after a lengthy decline due to Alzheimer’s. Shirley and Bob were married for 30 years before Bob passed away in 1991, attributed to complications of diabetes. This was an incredibly despairing time for Shirley and the family, and they were very grateful for the support of family and friends.

Shirley never stopped embracing life. She, Robert and Karen vacationed to the Caribbean and she and Karen also traveled to Japan and sailed the Tahitian Islands and the French Riviera. Shirley made friends everywhere she went. While aboard ship she shared with some fellow passenger friends that she uses her treadmill every day. Upon their amazement she added, “Oh yes I do, I hang my robe on it!”

Shirley was such an inspiration to her daughter Karen who followed her well paved independent footsteps, traveling to many different counties as a young adult as well. Shirley made a remarkable impression on others. She also served on the Mukilteo City Council and petitioned for a new park near their home and took great pride in its completion.

A few years after Bob's passing, Shirley found companionship and love again with Jim Pountain, who served in the Navy and retired from Boeing. They moved to Sun City West, Arizona, where they lived for about 20 years. Shirley continued pursuing her interests of playing bridge and being active in the community. She volunteered at the Sheriff’s office answering the phones. She opened a chapter of the Red Hat’s Society, a charitable organization, for whom she organized events, gatherings and trips. She was admired by so many — her friends fondly called her “Shirl-girl”. Shirley and Jim led an active lifestyle, traveling, golfing and spending time in their pool with family and friends. Her grandsons Dane and Cannon have fond memories of riding on their golf cart with Shirley — touring the neighborhood spotting different species of cactus, playing putt-putt golf, doing cannon-balls in their pool, exploring their backyard oasis while on the hunt for Easter eggs, and picking lemons from their lemon tree. They found humor at their lemonade making talent, saying it tasted “so yucky and sour.” Jim and Shirley endearingly named their home the “PehrPount Last Resort”

In 2010, Shirley suffered the heartbreaking loss of her son Robert, also due to complications of diabetes. Despite such profound grief, Shirley found inner strength to navigate forward, leaning on family and friends and regained her core essence and zest for life with unwavering optimism. Because of health issues in 2015, Jim and Shirley returned to the Northwest so they both could be closer to their families. Unfortunately, Jim passed a couple of years later. Shirley’s final decade was spent in Woodinville, Washington living independently close to her daughter Karen and son-in-law Tom, and grandsons Dane and Cannon — of whom she was incredibly proud. She delighted in watching them grow into responsible young men and celebrated their milestones with pride and joy. She especially enjoyed viewing photos of her grandsons’ travels abroad, as she took such delight in knowing firsthand how wonderful the adventure of travel can be and the fulfillment it brings to your soul.

Shirley approached life with gratitude, vigor, and a contagious zest. She once wrote in her autobiography, “In my early 20’s I was worried that I wouldn’t have an interesting life. But I was wrong.” She filled her 94 years with a lifetime of stories — tempered by hardship and rich with love, family, friendships, strength, laughter, and an unwavering positive attitude. Shirley always persevered with such optimism, a testament to her enduring spirit and desire to uplift others.

Shirley is survived by her loving daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Tom Skalski; grandsons Dane and Cannon Skalski; sister-in-law Ethel Armitage; five nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren; extended family and countless friends she treated as family.

Shirley’s legacy is one of adventure, travel, savvy business ventures, love, kindness, perseverance and tenacity. She lived independently up to her last day preparing for a game of bridge, passing away peacefully in her home — a perfect representation of her unwavering vitality.

She is now reunited with her beloved Bob and Jim, son Robert, mother Hilda, father Fred, stepmother Vera, brother Don, in-laws Ralph and Jean, and all those who went before her. Shirley’s light, joy, support, and legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

In honor of Shirley the family suggests donations to Alzheimer’s and Diabetes research.

A celebration of Shirley’s extraordinary life will be held at a later date.