Shirley Dean Loomis

1934 - 2023

Shirley Loomis died peacefully on Monday, January 2nd at her home at Carmel Valley Manor. She was vibrant and spunky right up to her stroke and had insisted for years that no heroic measures be taken if her quality of life was poor. Her last few days were comfortable and at times funny, with most of her family at her bedside.Shirley was born in England and spent much of her early childhood travelling between England, her father's homeland, Switzerland, and Wisconsin, her mother's home. World War II separated the family, with Shirley living with her mother and going to grade school in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Her father, meantime, was in England supporting the war effort at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough as a mechanical engineer. In the last year of the war, her mother, fed up with the separation, took Shirley and traveled by convoy to England. She spent the next year and a half in England. The whole family returned to Wisconsin and then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Shirley attended high school. Shirley went off to Cornell University, where she met her husband, Hersch, and was a campus leader. She received a bachelor's degree in Textiles in 1956 and then went to work for Sears Roebuck in New York, testing fabric and clothing. She married Hersch Loomis in June 1957, and they went off to College Park, Maryland, for Hersch's Navy active duty. Their daughter, Janette, was born at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in early 1959. While in the DC area, they met three Californian friends who planted the desire to go to California in them. Now a family of three, they moved to Watertown, Massachusetts, where Hersch was studying for his Ph.D. at MIT. While there, they enjoyed the Boston Pops and the Metropolitan Opera touring company. Their second daughter, Sharon, arrived in late 1960. Hersch finished his studies at MIT in 1962, and the family headed west to Davis, California, where they joined the academic community surrounding UC Davis. Shirley was active in the community, serving the City of Davis on the Recreation and Parks Commission. Shirley was passionate about the performing arts, attending and supporting the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She instilled that love of the performing arts in their daughters and grandchildren.While in Carmel for the Bach Festival, Shirley planted the seed for a move in 1981 to the Monterey Peninsula. Hersch took on a position on the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School, and being empty nesters, they moved to Pebble Beach. Shirley continued her love of the arts and her service to the community.In 1980, Shirley took a course in Calligraphy from Marilyn Judson that launched a career she practiced until she was stricken. She was a major force in forming the Sea Scribes Calligraphy Guild. She was a founding member and part of the organizing committee after the first Peninsula calligraphy show at the Portofino coffeehouse in downtown Pacific Grove in 1987. She served almost continually on the Board and was President several times, once for five years straight.Shirley was a member of the Monterey Symphony Board for many years and was serving on the Advisory Board at the time of her death. She was active on the Pebble Beach Company Architectural Review Board until she moved from Pebble Beach to Carmel Valley Manor. She was a member of the Board of Pacific Repertory Theatre for many years, continuing as a member of the Advisory Council, and returning to membership on the Board in October of 2022.The family wishes to express its appreciation to the CHOMP ER and ICU staff and to the VNA Hospice for their compassionate and timely care. Special thanks go to the medical staff at Carmel Valley Manor for their loving care.Shirley is survived by Hersch, her husband of 65 years, their daughters Janette Loomis and Sharon Loomis-Malin, Sharon's husband Rick Malin, their granddaughter Ashley Loomis Malin and grandson Stephan Loomis Malin, and her first cousin Larry Gross.A Memorial and Celebration of Life for Shirley will be held on Friday, January 20th at 11 a.m. at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, 28005 Robinson Canyon Rd, Carmel, CA 93923.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to Pacific Repertory Theatre, Monterey Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, or a favorite charity.