Shirley Louise (Paisley) Stevens

Shirley Louise (Paisley) Stevens, age 91, passed away peacefully in her home in Portland on May 5, 2017.  Shirley was born on November 12, 1925 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to John and Louise Paisley.   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Madeleine Church  at 1 pm, Monday, May 29, 2017.

Her parents moved to Storm Lake, Iowa when Shirley was a young girl, and the family lived there through her junior year in high school.  Shirley told the family many wonderful stories about her younger years in Storm Lake, and was particularly proud of the time she spent as a drum majorette for the school band.  In 1943 her family moved to Portland where she graduated from Grant High School and then took a job as a salesperson at Meier & Frank’s downtown department store in the hosiery department.  It was there a young sailor, Ray Stevens, came in, met her and asked her on a date.  They were both smitten.  After a whirlwind engagement, they became engaged and were married on June 30, 1946.  They stayed in Portland until moving to Redmond, WA in 1972 and then to San Bernardino, CA in 1975.  Ray was the love of her life until his death in 1999.  Soon after his passing, Shirley moved back to Portland to be closer to her children and grandchildren.

Shirley was a devout Catholic and converted Ray to Catholicism soon after their marriage.  They both became involved in activities at St. Charles church in Portland, Shirley helping with bazaars and other events, and Ray working as a fundraiser for major additions to the parish.  After raising their children, Ray and Shirley traveled extensively in Europe, spent many getaways in Palm Springs and Las Vegas while they lived in California, and had many happy memories to share in their later years.  Shirley is survived by her son, Jeff Stevens (Lucy) of Yakima, WA, Joanie Stevens-Schwenger (Johannes) of Portland, and Mary Hardy (Rob) of Larchmont, NY, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Madeleine Church at 1 pm, Monday, May 29, 2017.