Shirley Mae (Robinson) McFadden

Shirley Mae McFadden, age 91, passed away peacefully April 19, 2018, after a brief battle with cancer. Her strong will shone through to the end, and she gave comfort and love even in her final days. Shirley was born October 30, 1926 in Williston, North Dakota, to Harold and Mabel (Lobeck) Robinson. She was the middle of three children, Willis the youngest boy, and Betty the oldest girl. After high school, and classes at Minot State Teacher’s College, she headed to the bright lights of Minneapolis with her sister and girlfriends. There she met the love of her life, Howard ‘Mac’ McFadden, and they were married in May 1950. They moved to New York, where Mac was from, and raised three children, Steven, Stewart, and Leslie. While Mac commuted to NYC and the corporate world of WNBC Radio, Shirley found her niche as a Welcome Wagon hostess, greeting new families into the ever-growing suburbs of Port Chester, NY. She loved meeting new people, a virtue that continued throughout her life. While life in the suburbs was good, God had different plans for Shirley and Mac. With His guidance, they realized their dream of opening an alcoholic recovery center, which they named The Ark, in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. The Ark opened in November 1971, and in its 20+ years of operation, led hundreds of people to find sobriety and a new life. Shirley ran the family program, and managed the day to day cooking and cleaning operations as well. The Ark grew, opened an outpatient clinic, held gala benefit events, and was a model inpatient treatment facility. As alcoholism treatment evolved to hospital outpatient programs, The Ark ultimately closed its doors, and Shirley and Mac retired to Colorado Springs to enjoy a quiet life of grandkids, golf courses and bridge. While Mac continued volunteer work in carrying the message of Alcoholics Anonymous, Shirley found a new career at the Shops at The Broadmoor. She enjoyed meeting the guests who came into her shops, and they were always charmed by her genuine interest in who they were and where they were from. Shirley worked at The Broadmoor until she retired at 85. After nearly 61 years of marriage, she lost the love of her life, Mac, in April 2011. Her family, especially her grandchildren Brian and Tess, surrounded her with love and support, and she enjoyed nothing more than lunch out with her granddaughter, followed by a second-hand store shopping spree. Shirley is survived by her children Stewart McFadden and his wife Susan, of Princeton, Il, and Leslie (McFadden) Sparrow and her husband Bruce, of Wallkill, NY. Sadly, her son Steven passed away in November 2015. He is survived by his wife Liana Natividad, of Seattle, WA. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren Tess and Brian McFadden, and their mother Kathleen (Kit) McFadden, of Colorado Springs, her sister-in-law Gloria Carlson, of Kent, WA, and many wonderful nieces and nephews and their families, who would regularly take time out to visit their Aunt Shirley. A private family memorial will be held at First Lutheran Church, but those that knew Shirley are encouraged to send well wishes on the Swan-Law Funeral Home website. In lieu of flowers, the family would be blessed to know that donations were made in Shirley’s name to your local AA Group, or colon and pancreatic cancer research charities.