Shirley Brunton Atterbury

1925 - 2015

August 10, 1925 - March 1, 2015 Shirley Brunton Atterbury died peacefully Sunday, March 1, 2015 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Born August 10, 1925 in Santa Monica, California, she was 89 years old. She graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California in 1945. She went on to obtain a secondary degree at Radcliffe College in Cambridge and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. While in Paris, she met the love of her life, James A. Atterbury of Tennessee who was also a student there. They married in 1949. James preceded her in death in 1976. Early in her career she taught French and Spanish at private schools in San Francisco and Los Angeles Counties before settling on her long time career as an executive secretary for RHR, a corporate psychology firm from which she retired in 1990. She was also an active and longstanding member of Executive Women International. In 2000 she moved to Oceanside, California where she lived until her death in the Costa Serena retirement community. An accomplished pianist, Shirley volunteered her talents at a local nursing home until the onset of her illness. She was also an active member of her choir at the United Methodist Church of Vista as well as being a great patron of the opera. Having a keen interest in other languages and cultures from an early age, she traveled extensively in later years, including a trip to China as it was just beginning to receive foreign visitors again. Though a woman of many accomplishments Shirley may be best remembered for her warm smile, her bright outlook and her generosity of spirit. She is survived by her nieces Seana A. Graham of Santa Cruz, Stephanie R. Graham of San Rafael, Julie C. Graham of Pacific Palisades and her grandnephews and niece Graham Evan Mann, Liam Daniel Graham Zeiden, and Olivia Caroline Graham Zeiden, as well as many members of the Vandeven family on her husband's side. There will be a graveside service held at the Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 E Florence Ave, Inglewood, CA on Thursday, March 12 at noon, as well as a memorial service at United Methodist Church of Vista, 490 South Melrose Drive, Vista, CA on April 11th at 1:00 P.M. Donations in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at ALZ.org, the Los Angeles Opera at LAOpera.org, or the San Diego Opera at SDOpera.org.