E. Shirley Besnia

E. Shirley (Dalgliesh) Besnia, 90, was taken into the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, November 2, 2008, at home surrounded by her loving family.

Shirley is survived by her loving husband of 63 years Howard; 3 sons, David Besnia and his wife, Deanne of Leominster, Kenneth Besnia and his wife, Deborah of Santa Rosa, California, and Mark Besnia and his companion, Mary-Ann of Franklin; a daughter, Linda Turcotte of Leominster; 2 grandsons, 1 granddaughter; and 6 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sister Dorothy and her brothers, William, and Kenneth all of Alberta, Canada. She was born on July 3, 1918 in Haven, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Kenneth and Clara (Woods) Dalgliesh.

She worked as an executive secretary for British Merchant Shipping in Washington, D.C. where she met her husband to be, Howard. They were married in 1945 and in 1951 built their home in Sterling in which they had raised their family and lived together for these last 57 years.

To know Shirley was to love her. She was a woman of few words but always had something nice to say about everyone. She enjoyed reading her mystery books and working on challenging crossword puzzles.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 6th, in the Miles-Sterling Funeral Home, 100 Worcester Rd. (Rte. 12), Sterling. The funeral service and burial will be private and held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Sterling Animal Shelter, 17 Laurelwood Rd., Sterling, MA 01564, to benefit God's little creatures that Shirley loved so much.

www.milesfuneralhome.com