Shirley Wright

Shirley Ann Wright Obituary 8.4.1944 – 3.29.2025

Shirley Ann Wright, 80, fondly known as Shirl the Girl to family and friends, passed peacefully on March 29, 2025, in Sequim, WA, after a brave battle with lung cancer.

Shirl was born on August 4, 1944, in Cornwall, NY, to the late Mary Doris Wright (née Ball) and the late Everett Wright. She spent part of her childhood in Cornwall and later in New Jersey, graduating from River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey, in 1962.

She met her longtime companion, Deidra Mitchell, in the late 1980s, and they had 37 years together, supporting and loving each other.

After high school, Shirl began a somewhat nomadic life, traveling and exploring the world. She would easily find new jobs and make new friends. Being an affable and friendly person, she was one of those people who never met a stranger. Dirt roads were her favorite kind of road, and she traveled many, including the one that led to her favorite spot, high on a hill in the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The views there are incredible. Feeling like an explorer discovering a new land, Shirl promptly named the spot “Shirl’s Peak.” Only a select few know the location of this gem.

Shirl had many jobs including working for the U.S. Postal Service, the Rockland County Psychiatric Hospital, and the New Jersey Transit Authority as a train conductor. She also worked as a baker, a weigh-station operator, a custodian, a bartender at Tortilla Flats in Arizona, a casino blackjack dealer, and a waitress, among other jobs. She even drove a delivery truck for Entenmann’s in Miami, Florida. However, the job she spoke most fondly about was her stint as a bus driver in the Clarkstown Central School District in Rockland County, NY, transporting sports teams to their away games.

Shirl is a veteran. She joined the Army in her early thirties and served in the Army Reserves National Guard.

Significant events in Shirl’s life include a lifelong love of softball. She was a pitcher, and one highlight of her long, athletic career was winning the senior Olympic softball championship with her Arizona team. She also impressed everyone with a big win in a Texas Hold ‘Em casino poker tournament, winning a multi-thousand-dollar jackpot. Her photography endeavors were a particular passion of Shirl’s, and her most notable achievement was getting several of her nature photographs published on the covers of RVing Women magazines. She had a unique eye and would sometimes wait hours on end for the light to be just right before getting the shot she wanted. She also loved music and was a well-sought-out DJ. She would spend countless hours preparing and revamping set lists for her various gigs.

Shirl had a teasing way of bantering with people, including strangers. It was her way of making you feel seen. She was observant and often seemed to know just what you needed.

In addition to her loving companion, Deidra, she is survived by her “adopted” daughters, Jacqueline Weathers and Barbara Clanton, as well as eleven beloved nieces and nephews and many more great-nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Doris and Everett, Shirl is predeceased by her sister, Margaret June Meehan (née Wright), and her two brothers, Alfred Wright and Thomas Wright.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, do something nice for someone and blame Shirl.

A celebration of life for Shirl the Girl will take place in the summer of 2025, at which time, per her request, her ashes will be scattered at Shirl’s Peak. The date and time will be determined later.

Family and friends are invited to share memories of Shirl and sign the online guestbook.