Shirley Bernece Bobisud's Obituary
Shirley Bobisud died January 27, 2023, at age 94. Shirley was born and raised in Ohio, one of the younger of six siblings. Her mother was Iona Weekly Love, the daughter of a Civil War Veteran and one of the few men in the area who could read. Shirley’s mother married her father, Cecil Love, but her family considered the marriage “marrying down”. According to stories Shirley told, her father was often gone and abandoned the family when Shirley was small. She grew up poor and told many stories about her childhood. She loved small children and told the story of being given broken coloring crayons for Christmas, only to have a teacher take them away because the teacher did not believe they were her crayons since they did not look new. This and other incidents left Shirley with a desire to help children and she worked for years as a teacher’s aide in Kindergarten and First Grade for the Portland Public Schools. Shirley had a good sense of humor and often teased that she wasn’t smart enough to work with second graders.
Shirley followed one of her older brothers to Portland after a divorce in about 1950. All four of Shirley’s older brothers had served in the military during WWII. Her brother, Doyle Love, had fallen in love with Portland while visiting during Fleet Week. He moved to Portland after the Navy and Shirley and her small daughter followed him to Portland a few years later. It was at a wedding in Portland where Shirley met her second husband, Vit Bobisud, a railroad worker and Army veteran. They married in 1952 and added two daughters to their family. Shirley and Vit were happily married until his sudden death at age 51, leaving Shirley a widow at age 40. Shirley was offered a job as a teacher’s aide by the local school Principal with the commendation that she had done a good job of raising her daughters and would therefore make a good teacher’s aide. Shirley worked for the Portland School District until retirement. She liked to tutor children after her retirement and volunteered at the local grade school until she was in her eighties. Shirley is survived by her three daughters: Susan Sneider, Jane Hadley and Polly Schulz as well as her six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, She will be buried at 1:30 pm on February 10th at Willamette National Cemetery next to her husband, Vit Bobisud. In leu of flowers please donate or volunteer at your local public school.
What’s your fondest memory of Shirley?
What’s a lesson you learned from Shirley?
Share a story where Shirley's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Shirley you’ll never forget.
How did Shirley make you smile?
