Obituary

Shirley Crowley was born in Twin Falls, ID to John and Della (Bailey) McDowell on April 2, 1926. On December 27th 1947, she married Henry “Hank” Crowley, a US Naval Officer who served in the Pacific in WWII. They had two children and spent 55 wonderful years together until his death in 2002.

A member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and majoring in music, Shirley studied at the Universities of Oregon and Idaho, as well as Central Washington University. She taught piano for more than 50 years and also worked as a librarian at Central. Shirley will be remembered for her love for the arts, especially music. Piano, organ, flute and harmonica were just a few of the instruments she mastered. She also enjoyed riding horses, going on pack trips with friends, traveling, and was a master gardener. Shirley was a resilient and vibrant woman, who had an endless sense of adventure and lived life to the fullest. She had a beaming smile, infectious laughter, and loved being around friends and family. She was also an active member of various social and political groups including a bridge club, aquasize, supper club, Friday club, and P.E.O. International.

Shirley was gregarious, an amazing storyteller, and had F.O.M.O (Fear Of Missing Out). She will be remembered for her curiosity, life long thirst for knowledge and her love of all living creatures (except spiders).

Shirley is predeceased by her husband, parents, siblings; Hazel, Helen, Clem, and Clell; and granddaughter, Kiana Ho.
Survivors include her son, Michael H. Crowley; daughter, Shane Ho; granddaughters, Ellen Crowley James and Kasha Ho; grandson, Eric Crowley; daughter in law, Anne Crowley; niece, Jill Boyd and nephew, Vernon Frost.

A celebration of Shirley’s life will take place at the First Lutheran Church in Ellensburg at 11:00am on Saturday August 19th. Please contact Ellen at 360.927.4379 with questions.