Shirley R. Wilson

Shirley R. Wilson of Monrovia passed away on the quiet evening of Sunday, June 3, 2012. She was surrounded by her loving family, in the comfort of her room at The British Home in Sierra Madre. Born to Oscar and Elsie Edmunds on November 19, 1926 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada, Shirley was a graduate of St. Ann’s Academy in 1944. She was class valedictorian and recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal. Shirley went on to study at Sir George Williams College in Montreal. Following college she worked as the Executive Secretary to the President of the Canadian International Paper Company. In 1946 Shirley met her beloved husband, Robert (Bob) Wilson, during an office Christmas party and married two years later on August 28. In 1952 employment opportunities brought Shirley and Bob to Pennsylvania. Shirley worked for several years with the Miller Record Company in Media, Pa. before starting a family. In 1961 the Wilsons moved to California and purchased a home in Monrovia where they lived for the next 49 years. Bob became a U.S. citizen in 1954 and Shirley in 1962. The Wilsons strongly believed in “God and Country” and recognized the importance of giving back to the community through volunteerism. Shirley and Bob both served actively as Boy Scout parents for more than 12 years. Shirley also served on the altar guild of her local church. Shirley’s volunteerism excelled through her 68 years of dedicated service to a women’s philanthropic organization, the Daughters of the British Empire. Through this organization, she served on the Executive Board for more than 40 years and six years as British Home President. Among many significant experiences in her various roles with the British Home was her introduction to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when a royal visit was made to Sierra Madre and the British Home in February 1983. Shirley was a loving wife and mother whose compassion and dedication to helping others were virtues that will continue to live on in her children and grandchildren. Shirley is survived by her husband, Bob of more than 63 years; her son Scott Wilson and wife Joyce of Bremerton, WA; her daughter Jill Levredge and husband Carl, of Monrovia; and her two beloved granddaughters, Caitlin Wilson of Savannah, Ga. and Maeve Wilson of Hummelstown, Pa. A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, July 7 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 122 South California Avenue, Monrovia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be sent to: The British Home in California, Ltd., 647 Manzanita Avenue Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Care entrusted to the Douglass & Zook Chapel of Remembrance in Monrovia.