Shirley Catherine Blaes

When Shirley Catherine Blaes (nee Ross) was born into this world on October 25, 1935, at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, God realized that He forgot to put any of the mean bones into her body. She was the kindest and most grateful woman you would ever meet.
The oldest of two children born to Carey and Catherine Ross, she succeeded at everything she put her hand to in school. At George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia, she was a cheerleader, band member, student body president, and valedictorian. She carried that same zest and pursuit of excellence with her to the College of William and Mary where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. She was a happy and devoted mother of three children with her former husband Charles Wood in the golden years of suburban life of the 50's and 60's. As her children reached high school age, she became an Education Assistant at the nearby elementary school while pursuing her master's degree in Elementary Education. Upon completion of that degree, she was an elementary school teacher at Bren Mar Elementary in Alexandria. She was offered the opportunity to take a master's specialist program which would enable her to teach high school level math. She would teach elementary school by day and then attend classes at night. When her program was completed, she went to work at Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, just down the street from her house, teaching all levels of math for many years. She had a heart for the students to whom math did not come easily.
Shirley retired from teaching to care for her husband, Captain (USN retired) Richard W. Blaes, before he passed in 1995 and then unselfishly cared for her mother until her death in 1996. She relocated to Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1997, living near one of her sons. She lived a very full retirement life contributing to her new community. She was a meticulous Treasurer for the Spartanburg Friends of the Library organization, tutored adults striving to obtain their GED, and was active with Trinity United Methodist Church, participating in and leading in-depth Bible classes and traveling with fellow church members on cultural trips. An avid reader and inquisitive thinker, she was a valuable member of two book clubs. She took piano lessons for pleasure and always said she knew she would be given a lovely singing voice when she got to heaven since she did not have one on earth. However, she did have an appreciation for music and enjoyed attending performances of all kinds. Because of health issues, she spent her last five years in Spartanburg at White Oak Estates before relocating in 2023 to Patriots Colony retirement community in Williamsburg, Virginia, home of her alma mater and where two of her children now live. She loved being taken for long drives (especially if they involved interesting statuary) and never missed an opportunity to dine out on chicken wings and fried pickles. She enjoyed crossword puzzles and cryptograms all of her life but especially delighted in Sudoku when it came out and thrived on the most difficult or "Evil" level of those puzzles. She had a lovely and enthusiastic laugh when she got tickled by something someone would say, and her smile was infectious.
Shirley lived a life of beautiful simplicity and in complete faith and service to her Lord, passing away on September 26, 2025, very close to her 90th birthday. She is predeceased by her parents, brother Eugene Ross, and her husband Richard Blaes. She is survived by her children Stephen Wood (Cynthia), Catherine Friedman (David), and Ross Wood. There are seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
She will be inurned with her beloved husband at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. In lieu of flowers and because of Shirley's devotion to the pursuit of education, memorials may be made to Riverside Foundation, "Riverside College of Health Careers Make a Difference Fund" for scholarships for staff at Patriots Colony: www.riversideonline.com/give or Riverside Foundation, 701 Town Center Drive, Suite 1000, Newport News, Virginia 23606.