Shirley R

Shirley was born to Heino and Evelyn Lappi of Biwabik, Minnesota on 7 September 44. "Don" is her adult brother. For 24 years, Shirley enjoyed the challenges and rewards of perfecting the role of "military spouse and wife", in support of her husband "Jack's U.S.A.F. career. During those military years, Shirley was a dynamo and accomplished much. She helped to raise three children to adulthood, while balancing careers and a busy social life. Each new assignment location, offered her an opportunity to improve existing job skills and explore new job prospects. For many years, Shirley worked in civilian and government communication jobs. She also worked in the debt collection industry and UOf M. Shirley had unlimited potentials was highly skilled and excelled at all jobs. On return to Conus from Germany, Shirley enrolled in an excellent legal secretary school in Las Vegas, Nevada and having scored high, was recruited by the top law firm, who investigated the MGM Casino fire. One year before her husband retired from the A.F. at Luke A.F.B, Arizona, Shirley was hired by Phx Cement Co. and
worked there from 1985-2003 when she retired. She did well at her job and enjoyed interacting with all of the employees.

Shirley's parents preceeded her in death. Shirley is survived by her loving and devoted husband Jack, daughter Evonda and grandson Jamie, son Gary and his wife Christine and greatgranddaughter Cierra, and youngest adult son Bryan and his wife Rachel. She is also survived by her brother Don.

Shirley was a life member of Beta Sigma Phi International and will be truly missed by all of her sisters. Shirley pledged Beta Sigma Phi in 1971. She held the degree of Laureate. She received many honors from her sisters over the years: Pledge of the Year, Woman of the Year (several times), Valentine Queen (several times), Order of the Rose, Best Program of the Year (several times), Life Member, and one of our Founding Members of OnLine Beta. Her most memorable moments in Bets Sigma Phi, were attending Beta Sigma Phi International conventions in Greece, Scotland, and England, and mini conventions in Austria, Holland, Belgium, and Germany.

Shirley was such a multi-faceted lady. She could decorate beautifully and loved all things Victorian. She longed to have heritage roses that her family bred in Nova Scotia, but of course they couldn't live in the desert heat. She had such humor and vitality and creativeness, it was almost unfair that one person should be so gifted. She was incredibly thoughtful and a lady to her fingertips. She was a hard worker. In Germany, she was raising three children, working 1 1/2 jobs and teaching cake decorating classes on the base and making her husband one of the happiest men in the world.

She could write poetry, or write anything for that matter and had beautiful handwriting.

Everything she did was with style and grace and graciousness. If you wanted to organize anything or anyone, you could ask Shirley. She was a fountain of information about organization and how to apply it to your everyday life.

Catalogue shopping was another hobby of Shirley’s. She loved her catalogues. In fact, Loretta Craford commented that you never knew what would arrive in the mail from her. When it arrived, you know that Shirley had been at the catalogues again and had located another “treasure”.

But as her health declined she was reticent to discuss it and withdrew more and more from active life, some of it forced on her by her condition and some of it by her choice.

She was faithful about her OLB attendance even though she was one of the quiet ones. In fact her last two calls to Judy Clarke were to make sure that OLB knew that she was still unable to be on the computer. She had a brand new one but it remains in the box it came in. She was never well enough to set it up.

She was a charter member of OLB and the OLB card exchange group and participated with beautiful creations for several years until her health made it impossible for her to continue.