Shirley died peacefully on January 17th at her home in North Vancouver. She was the dear wife, friend, confidant, laughing companion and comrade-in-arms to her husband William for 62 years. Together, they shared a great love of good food, sailing, , snorkeling, and getting together with our many friends. Shirley was a professional dietitian, obtaining her degree at Macdonald College, McGill in 1952. While at Macdonald, she was a cheerleader and played a role in the College’s annual stage review the “Green and Gold. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of food and of food preparation. She worked as a hospital and an industrial dietitian and as a teacher of Home Economics in Toronto.
Her outgoing and cheerful personality and her willingness to be a helpful volunteer, made her welcome at the West Vancouver Senior’s Centre, The University Woman’s Club and other such organizations. She helped her husband when he was doing field research on mosquitoes and endured the challenges of being in mangrove swamps in the Caribbean where the biting rate could be as high as 200 bites per hour!
Sabbatical leaves with her husband in Cambridge England, Berkeley California, Sebring Florida, Vienna Austria and Simon Fraser University allowed her to sample different cultures and cuisines. She made lasting friendships wherever she was.
While visiting in the Vancouver area Shirley and her husband reconnected with her High school friend, Sheila Rivers and this led to the Friend family being able to cruise with Sheila’s husband, Dr. William Rivers, for 8 summers on his sailboat ‘Almaz’. During these cruises the Friends decided to move out to the Vancouver area when retirement time arrived. We were also fortunate that two of Shirley’s dietetic intern friends. Pat Overgaard and Lois Hardy, had settled in North Vancouver and had become part of a large and very active social group, which we were able to join. Retirement and the move took place in 1994.
During the retirement years the Friends started taking cruises to such places as Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia and Alaska.. Shirley and her husband had a wonderful life together. She will be remembered for her warm, outgoing spirit, her great sense of optimism and her love of life. Many people will feel diminished by her death. Aloha Shirley.
A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6th 2 PM in the Parish Hall at Gloria De Lutheran Church.
1110 Gladwin Drive, North Vancouver (Upper Levels Highway at Lloyd Avenue 604-988-5838 (half way between Capilano Road and Westview).
In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the St. Paul’ Hospital Foundation, Transcatheter Heart Valve Program. 1081 Burrard St. Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6.
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