Shirley Reinertsen

Obituary of Shirley Reinertsen

Shirley died October 30, 2021, at home in Tumwater, Washington, surrounded by family.  She was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada, on April 2, 1930, to Madeline and Oliver Menzie.  Her dad died in December 1930, so she was raised by her mom and her maternal grandparents.

 

When Shirley was nine, the family immigrated to northeast Montana, where they had a buffalo ranch.  She learned to drive at age nine.  At age 11, she went to boarding school across the state in Thompson Falls because she lived too remotely at the ranch to go beyond the 6th grade due to snow.

 

During the War, she was late going back to school in the fall so she could drive the wheat truck to the granary because there weren’t others to do it.  She loved boarding school, and was there through 11th grade, when the boarding portion shut down due to school buses being implemented throughout the state.  She graduated from Missoula High School, and went on to the University of Montana.

 

Shirley worked as a dental assistant and bookkeeper for a dentist in Seattle. In her 30s, she was working a “dream job” as secretary to a Rear Admiral in the Coast Guard.  She decided to go to night school to become a court reporter to earn more money.  A few months after classes started, she had a substitute teacher who was loved by the class. She rallied the whole class to threaten to quit if he wasn’t made permanent.  It worked.  That teacher, Dick Reinertsen, went on a date with her a month later, and they married six weeks after that.

 

Shirley and Dick started a family, and she left her beloved job.  They moved to Dick’s hometown, and Shirley did transcribing for Dick.  They started a freelance court reporting business.  Shirley ran the business and did transcribing for many court reporters until Dick retired.

 

Shirley was active in her girls’ activities and school, including serving as co-president of the PTA with Dick, tutoring at their grade school, being a Girl Scout leader, attending baseball practices and games, and music and dance practices and recitals.  She also cared for her mom and then her mother-in-law. 

 

Shirley and Dick played three games of Scrabble every night.  They took in all kinds of animals.  When Dick got sick, she took care of him until he passed in 2007.  She helped to raise her grandson. 

 

Shirley liked to go to the casino weekly for lunch and gambling.  She always had a smile for everyone.  She was an excellent cook and loved to feed people.  Every Christmas she made her homemade Almond Roca and delivered it.  And she loved to play cards with her family. 

 

She is survived by her daughter, DeeAnn Smith (Scott Knox) of Tumwater, Washington; daughter, Patti Reinertsen of Auburn, Washington; grandson, Travis Anderson of Sitka, Alaska; and grandson, Evan Smith of Lacey, Washington.

 

A big thank you to hospice. 

 

In lieu of flowers, Shirley would love a donation to your favorite animal rescue in her name.

 

Graveside services will be Saturday, November 13, 2021, 1:00 p.m., at Odd Fellows Memorial Park, Tumwater.

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.

 

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shirley Reinertsen, please visit Tribute Store
Saturday
13
November

Graveside Services

1:00 pm
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Odd Fellows Memorial Park
8302 Cleveland Ave. SE
Tumwater, Washington, United States
Share Your Memory of
Shirley