Shirley pool was born Shirley Lou Zindel, to Hilda Klemme Zindel and Harold Zindel, on August 22nd, 1927, on a farm in Donahue, Iowa, the second of five children. Shirley attended school in a one-room schoolhouse until ten years of age, when her family moved to Davenport, Iowa. At a very early age, Shirley had a love of music and took accordion lessons. Her first professional job was due to World War ll and the shortage of musicians because so many young men enlisted or were drafted into the Army. Shirley played accordion for several local bands, and at 21 years of age, she joined Les Hartman and the Iowa Cornhuskers band out of Waterloo, Iowa, and left home for the first time.
Shirley fell in love with one of the band members who joined the Air force. He came home on leave, and they got married on May 13th, 1951, then moved to San Antonio, Texas. That union produced two sons, Douglas and Dennis. While in San Antonio, Shirley joined an all-girl western band called the Texas Tomboys, which was “the most fun I ever had in my whole life.”
When Shirley split with her husband, she and the boys made their way to California, where she was a single parent for several years until she and John Pool married. John and Shirley met at a Polka dance. After their first dance, John said, “I’m a widower with four kids and a Christian.” John called Shirley every night. He was so tall and handsome and such an excellent dancer that he won her heart. And despite all of the children, ages 15, 14, 13, 13, 11 and 10, they married on June 18th, 1966.
In 1979, John and Shirley built their dream house in Crestline, California, where they lived for 15 years.
They moved to Crestline full-time after Shirley retired from Lennox School District in 1988. It was a family getaway for many holidays; Christmases, Thanksgivings, Oktoberfest’s, Etc. And those fond memories are forever etched in our minds.
In 1994, John and Shirley moved to Hemet, California, because of health reasons. They joined Faith Community Church in 1995 and Shirley started playing the organ for the church and was their church organist up until December 2022.
Shirley passed away on January 13, 2023, at the age of 95. She is survived by her sister, Bonnie Lang; her brother, Harold Zindel, Jr.; her children, Vicki Kahlon, Debra Granath, John Pool, Jr., Douglas Dalziel, Joyce Hedlund, and Dennis Dalziel; 10 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
