ForeverMissed
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Her Life

Early Life

March 5, 2019

Shirley was born September 23, 1922 in Chicago to Alfred Belzer and Martha Myhre.

Older siblings, Margaret and Kenneth, were born several years before Shirley, then she was joined by her younger sister, Beverlie.

She attended high school for two years in Chicago then transferred to Broadview Academy and graduated in 1939.

Higher Education

March 5, 2019

In 1940 Shirley travelled to California to attend Nursing at the Loma Linda School of Nursing graduating with her RN in 1944. While still in Nursing she met Grant Macaulay (while he was washing windows in the dormitory) and later was asked to marry him. She laughed because nurses were not allowed to marry before graduation - so she married him the day after graduation!

Family and Career

March 5, 2019

In 1945 her first child Dennis was born, followed in the next few years by a sister Diane and a brother Doug. Shirley worked nights in the hospital so she could care for the children during the days.

Subsequent careers - necessitated by family moves, acquiring degrees and certifications as needed were - school nursing in 1960s; high school counseling; elementary teaching and graduate school in counseling.

In the 1970s - 1980s, after a small inheritance from her parents, Shirley began investing in small rental houses, building a successful real estate portfolio, while supporting Grant's career in Education, hosting many faculty and staff parties, and caring for her aging father-in-law. 

  



Travel and Retirement

March 5, 2019

In 1969 the family went to Beirut to live and teach at Middle East College - eventually completing an around the world trip in 1971. That began a love of travel that lasted through the rest of their years including international trips with each of their grandchildren and after Grant's retirement in 1990 and subsequent illness Shirley continued traveling all by herself. Few have covered the globe as much as Shirley and with such eager enthusiasm, learning about many cultures, and bringing back various artifacts and antiquities from all over the world, enriching her life, and our lives as well immeasurably!

Growing up as Shirley's children was a unique and wonderful privilege - we will miss her greatly!