Shirley Forsberg

FORSBERG, Shirley
(Age 76)

Passed away on June 16. Shirley is survived by Gerald Forsberg, her devoted husband of 55 years, her children Carol, Christopher, Donald and Holly, her grandchildren Claire and Bennett, and her sister, Joan Rowbotham in Victoria, B.C.
Shirley was born in Belfast, N. Ireland on November 6, 1934, the second daughter of George and Sarah McFadden. In 1953 she visited Canada, decided to stay, and settled in Peterborough, Ontario, where she met and eventually married Gerald on April 28, 1956. In 1957 Carol was born, and in 1960 the family immigrated to the U.S.A. They lived in Exton, PA, where Chris, Don and Holly were born. In 1968 Gerald was transferred to Quebec for two years, and then on to Lancashire England for four years, after which the family moved to Janesville, Wisconsin for four years, and to Portland, Oregon where they retired in 2002. In 2006 they moved to Spokane to be near the grandchildren.
The stay in England were some of Shirley's favorite years. The family was able to enjoy village living, visit the home and relatives in Belfast several times, as well as vacationing in England and Ireland, Italy, Majorca, Switzerland and North Africa. She also traveled with Gerald on trips to France, Italy, Spain and Greece.
Throughout all the moves and cultural changes over her lifetime, Shirley was the glue that held the family together for over 50 years. The children were baptized, attended Sunday school and church, were closely supervised through high school and given the opportunity to attend college, and had the attention and love they needed throughout their lives. She also provided love and support for her husband through his career changes, especially after he became an independent consultant to the paper industry in 1981. She organized business schedules, typed reports, submitted tax returns, etc., while Gerald was traveling.
Shirley dedicated her life to her family but still found time to work in the church, do some golfing, curling, bowling, play bridge and do genealogy research. She lived a full and active life and will be greatly missed by family and friends.
A memorial service will be held at the Manito Presbyterian Church on Sunday, June 19, at 2:00 pm.