Shirley Ann Meyer passed away the afternoon of July 11, 2025, in her room at Timber Ridge Renaissance in McKinleyville with her daughter Genine and one of her granddaughters, Judy, by her side.

Shirley was born in Forks, Washington, on March 23, 1933, to Henry “Hank” Walken and Vovaline “Bobbie” Steen. Shirley was the oldest of three daughters and always played the role of the responsible older sister. Losing her dad, Hank, to tuberculosis around the time of her eighth grade graduation instilled in her an extra measure of responsibility within her family and would influence the in-charge kind of person she was throughout the rest of her life. When life brought difficult circumstances her way, and there were many, she always faced them, made the best of them and continued on with her family as her highest priority.

Shirley married Gilbert Morse in 1956 in Oakland. Shirley brought two children, Erlene and Steven, into her marriage with Gilbert, and together they had Greg and Genine. Included in the new blended family was Gilbert’s first son from another marriage, also named Gilbert. Soon after their marriage, Shirley and Gilbert along with Erlene and Steven moved to Gold Beach, Oregon. It was here that Greg and Genine were born. In the summer of 1963, the family moved to Smith River.

Every family has trouble and sorrow, but the ’60s were particularly tough for this matriarch. For a time, she was sole provider for a his-hers-ours family with two pre-schoolers, a temporarily disabled husband and a permanently disabled mother with her own teenage daughter, all living under one roof. Shirley took a small-town waitress job. A few years later, Steven drowned in the Smith River. Shirley’s sorrow was deep, yet her do-what-you-can attitude compelled her to volunteer to drive a local church school bus and help to clean up the Smith River Cemetery and to serve on the Del Norte County Grand Jury. A letter of thanks from the Del Norte Superior Court judge was found in her treasured papers.

Shirley was known as a meticulous record keeper and the move to Smith River soon led to her employment with the Westbrook brothers, Hank and Chopper, as bookkeeper for their many businesses. In a later relocation to Humboldt County, she was the office manager and bookkeeper for Baywood Truck and Equipment Company. Her last employment was as the Food Mart office manager until she retired. In these roles, she was deeply loved and appreciated. After retirement, Shirley served multiple years on the Humboldt County Grand Jury, and for a portion of that time as the grand jury foreperson in the 2000s.

Shirley and Gilbert and their family enjoyed many summer vacations camping throughout southern Oregon and northern California as well as most of the well known western national parks. Weekends in the fall were often spent deer hunting. Some of Shirley’s best times were at a cabin at Big Flat on the south fork of the Smith River and deer hunting with extended family and friends at “The Hunting Club” near Platina on Hwy. 36. She was an expert at carving a deer and preparing the venison for the freezer! She also canned thousands of pounds of tuna during mid-life, with few family members able to outlast her energy on the marathon canning weekends.

The late 1970s and 1980s were special years for Shirley and Gilbert after their purchase of a 26 ft. class C motorhome. There were many road trips to meet up with longtime friends and family, also in their RVs. A favorite destination was Howard Prairie in southern Oregon. She was also an international traveler enjoying several trips to Europe.

Gilbert Morse suffered a fatal heart attack at the Hunting Club in October of 1990 and Shirley remained single for 17 years until she married Darroll “Dean” Meyer in July 2007. Dean and Shirley also enjoyed RV travel and took many trips to see friends and family throughout the western states. Shirley and Dean were married for 17 years until his passing in October 2024.

In her senior years, Shirley developed a fondness for Jack Russell and Fox Terriers. Their relentless energy and mischievousness kept her mobile and active well into her 80s.

Shirley and Dean attended Wood Street Chapel in Fortuna for many years. One of her greatest joys was filling shoe boxes each Christmas season for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Vovaline, her husband Gilbert and her late husband Dean, her daughter Erlene and son Steven. She is survived by her sister Elaine, her son Greg (Barbara) and daughter Genine (Brett), as well as eight grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren and nine step great-grandchildren.

The Morse family would like to thank the caring staff of Timber Ridge Assisted Living in Eureka and Timber Ridge Renaissance in McKinleyville and Hospice of Humboldt during her final days. Thank you also to Mad River Hospital for their kind care in July.

A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held at 1 p.m., October 3, 2025, at Crescent City Foursquare Church, 144 Butte Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.