Shirley Jean Gay

1931 - 2016

Shirley Jean Gay passed away peacefully on February 22, 2016, at the age of 84 in Mequon, Wisconsin. Born to the late George and Theresa (Block) Eddy April 7, 1931, in Saginaw, Michigan, she lived in Salt Lake City for over 45 years. She was Class Valedictorian at Saginaw High School and earned a B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Education from the University of Michigan. She taught school in California and Hawaii before meeting her husband of ten years, S. Parker Gay, Jr. They lived in Peru and Tennessee before settling in Salt Lake with their 3 children.
In addition to teaching school, Shirley worked at Log Haven Restaurant for 5 years and the University of Utah admissions office for 20 years. She was a long-time member of Christ United Methodist Church.
She volunteered for many organizations during her lifetime. When her children were young, she volunteered at The Guadalupe Center, teaching English. After retirement, she volunteered at The Assistance League thrift store as well as with their School Bell program delivering warm clothes to needy children. Her most cherished accomplishment at The Assistance League was chairing the Book Bank program for two years. The volunteers in this program read to and provided books to over 2,200 3 and 4 year olds. She also volunteered at Crossroads Urban Center and her church.
Some of Shirley's many hobbies were cooking, traveling, gardening, writing and playing bridge. She took enormous pride in her children and their accomplishments as well as her 6 grandchildren.
She is survived by son Parker (Stephanie) Bauer, daughters Nancy (John) DeFord and Linda (Scott) Blanton; grandchildren Christian (Danna) Bauer, Emily Bauer, Jamison Bauer, Alexis DeFord, Joseph Blanton, and Rebecca Blanton; sisters Nancy and Beverly; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, and siblings Edward, Nellie, Roland, Geraldine, Harold, Donald, Raymond and Sally.
Please join us for a celebration of Shirley's life at noon, Saturday, March 12, 2016, at Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 E 3300 S, Salt Lake City, with a visitation at 11 am. There will be an additional visitation at the Holbrook Mortuary, 3251 S 2300 E, Salt Lake City, on Friday, March 11, 2016, 6:00-8:00 pm. Private interment. In lieu of flowers, send donations to The Assistance League of Salt Lake City (alslc.org/contribute) or Crossroads Urban Center (crossroadsurbancenter.org).
Online guestbook to post messages for the family is available at: www.HolbrookMortuary.com