She really loved to travel and visited many countries. She was an accomplished pianist, ballet, and tap dancer. She was sponsored by Kronk Recreation, in Detroit, when she was 15, to train for the Olympic Diving Team. Shirley was also a beautiful seamstress.
Shirley’s uncle was Ray Gorrell, a prominent Detroit orchestra leader in the 1930s, who sponsored Shirley, for a year of classical piano study at the Wayne State Conservatory of Music.
In Washington, she was a longtime volunteer for the Redmond Police and Fire Departments, and a member of the Probus Club. She loved her aerobics and water aerobics classes. She became a certified instructor for the Senior Arthritis Swim Class.
She is survived by her sister Patti, oldest son Marc (wife Matsu), her daughter Robin (husband Ben/Hochan), and daughter Michele (husband Kevin), and her beloved grandchildren Alexys and Alyis.
We know she was looking forward to being reunited with the loved ones who have passed, especially her youngest son, Michael, who passed away in 2013.
Shirley passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. She was a feisty little force to be reckoned with right to the very end. She will be missed dearly.
The family will have a private gathering to honor her life.
A favorite saying of hers was exactly how she lived her life:
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams - live the life you’ve imagined.
(Henry David Thoreau)
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