DR. SHIRLEY MAE GODBEHERE (WEBER)

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DR. SHIRLEY MAE GODBEHERE (WEBER) Shirley Mae Godbehere (Weber) was born on June 15, 1926 in Portage la Prairie, MB and passed away on November 17, 2018 at Monashee Mews in Lumby, BC at the age of 92 years. She was predeceased by her husband Dick in 2011 as well as by her parents, Norman and Gladys, sister Wilda (Len) Cronmiller and brother Tom. Shirley will be lovingly remembered by her sister-in-law Hilda (Tom) Weber, nephew Bryan (Carol) Weber and nieces, Diana (Don) Johnston and Donna Cronmiller, all of Winnipeg, Pamela (Robert) Caswill of Nova Scotia and Wendy (Michael) Cull of The Pas, and Dick's children, Claudia (Robert) Rivard of Surrey, BC, Bruce (Ruth) Godbehere of Comox, BC and Susan (Peter) Strack of Victoria, BC. Shirley was enthusiastic in everything she did. She was elected high school president in a landslide ("even though she was a girl" the local newspaper reported), and received the Governor General's medal while actively involved in the school's social and athletic programs, especially hockey. When she moved into residence at the University of Manitoba to earn her Home Economics degree, she became an active participant in the UMSU Women's Association, was appointed the faculty Lady Stick, and generally considered the "personality kid" in her residence - singing, cheerleading, playing the piano and acting as its sports leader. After graduation, Shirley continued her academic studies, obtaining her Masters from University of Minnesota in 1959 and her PhD from Cornell University in 1965. She returned to the University of Manitoba as a professor in its Home Economics faculty. Shirley was also actively involved in the Naval Reserve at HMCS Chippawa (Winnipeg) and it is here where she met Dick. They were married in 1972 and eventually relocated to Montreal, where Shirley taught at McGill University, and finally chose to retire to Vernon, BC. It was clear that Dick and Shirley were soulmates, equally sharing a passion for golf, road trips in their fifth-wheel, and many, many junkets to casinos along the way. While Shirley left Manitoba many years ago, she never forgot her roots. She loved to attend her high school and university reunions, and in memory of her parents she created the Weber Scholarship Fund at the University of Manitoba to provide financial assistance for students in and around Portage la Prairie. It is fitting that she directed her remains be returned to Portage la Prairie to be interred at the family plot at Hillside Cemetery with a family service. Memorial donations may be made to the Weber Scholarship Fund, the Montreal Diet Dispensary, the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, or the Alzheimer Society of BC.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 22, 2018