Obituary of Shirlee Lehnis

Shrilee Lehnis Shirlee, born October 20, 1941, died peacefully on the evening of June 27, 2007 surrounded by family and friends. She was a wonderful mother, daughter, wife and ex-wife, sister, sister-in-law, friend and colleague and will be remembered for her humor, integrity, intelligence, loyalty, compassion and strength of conviction. She was a bright presence and terrific story-teller in any gathering of people whether in her professional life or around the table at family gatherings. Her aggregate of qualities resulted in a circle of family and friends who loved and admired and enjoyed her and who will miss her terribly. Shirlee loved above all her daughter, Julie, who was fortunate enough to have been Shirlee's caregiver for the last month of her life. Both strong women, Shirlee and Julie were able, even during this difficult time, to laugh and cry and butt heads a bit about Shirlee's care. Shirlee's professional career spanned 43 years as teacher and administrator, the last 27 of which were spent with the North Thurston School District. Her focus throughout her career was on children with special needs and she was adamant that there be programs and resources sufficient to meet those needs. To say the least, Shirlee will be missed immensely by Julie, by her ex-husband, Terry, by her Texas family of origin (Father Don, age 91, sister Pat and her family, brother Don and his family and brother Jim), by her family by marriage (Dave and Jane Lehnis and their children as well as other Lehnis in-laws and their families). She was preceded in death by her mother, Agnes Grace and her sister, Harriet Agnes. Shirlee's was a life well-lived and worth celebrating. Because of a recent, amazing event honoring her as she retired from the North Thurston District, there will be no public memorial service. There will be a smaller gathering of family and close friends to share sadness and stories. The family requests no flowers. Memorial donations could be made to the South Sound Reading Foundation or to Providence SoundHomeCare and Hospice.