Shirley L. Dykstra

  
SHIRLEY LESLIE DYKSTRA   
Known for her sharp sense of humor and generous spirit, Shirley Margaret Leslie Dykstra, 86, died peacefully at home in Centreville, VA, on November 26, 2010. Born in Schenectady, NY, on July 13, 1924, Shirley graduated from Nott Terrace High School in Schenectady in 1943 then worked for two years as a draftsman for General Electric to earn enough to attend college. She graduated with a BA in 1949 from Hope College in Holland, MI, and married Vergil Dykstra that June. They moved to the Washington area in 1973 when Vergil became president of George Mason University. A lifelong artist, Shirley specialized in charcoal and ink sketches and oil paintings, and worked extensively in glass mosaic in her later years. She was an accomplished carpenter and worked in scene design with the theatre department at SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and with local community theatre productions in the late 1960s and early "70s. At George Mason University, she worked on props and scene design and construction for the Agora Society theatre company from 1973 to 1976. Shirley taught geometry at Binghamton Central High School in Binghamton, NY, in the late 1960s. Following her divorce, she started a carpentry business in 1977, calling herself "Shirley, Lady Carpenter." She obtained her real estate license in 1980 and became an agent for Red Carpet-Al Smith Realty in the City of Fairfax. She served on the city's Board of Architectural Review from 1981 to 1987.  Shirley is survived by her brother, Craig Leslie of Leesburg, FL; her four children, Leslie Dykstra (Robert C. Schoening) of Fairfax, VA; Lynne D. Perry of Jacksonville, FL; Craig D. Dykstra (Valerie) of Centreville, VA; and Kevin S. Dykstra (Katy O'Grady), of Fairfax. She will be greatly missed by her five grandchildren, her great-granddaughter, and her many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. A celebration of Shirley's life is planned for spring 2011. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to So Others Might Eat, some.org.