Memorials › Shirley Mae Sershen Fifer
Shirley Mae Sershen Fifer
4 Aug 1922 – 30 Aug 2015
| Birth | 4 Aug 1922 |
| Death | 30 Aug 2015 |
| Cemetery | Olivewood Cemetery Riverside , Riverside County , California , USA |
| Added by | K.B. on 26 Nov 2023 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/248361234 |
Bio
Shirley was born to parents Frank and Clara Sershen on August 4, 1922 in Janesville Minnesota. She was a graduate of Janesville High School and Morehead University. After graduation, she accepted a job in Riverside California as a teacher and headed west on a train to start the next chapter of her life. She married Harold L. Fisher and they purchased a home at 4385 Canterbury Road in Riverside California. They raised 2 children in this home, Leslie and Scott and Shirley Continued to live in this home until 2013. Shirley left teaching to take a job at Juvenile Hall in Riverside in the administration department. She made lifelong friends there and enjoyed her work. She then left to work as an administrative assistant for a physiological therapist she had met a Juvenile Hall. She eventually moved to an office that included several therapists and was the office manager until she retired in 2012. Shirley was known as an expert typist. Before the age of computers, she would type doctorial dissertations for individuals that were trying to obtain their PHD. These dissertations could be hundreds of pages long and had to be typed with no errors or white out. This was a daunting task for a typist armed with just a typewriter, but Shirley was always up to the task. Her daughter Leslie got her a personalized license plate for her car that read 1 IBID to denote her unmatched ability. The plate was on every car she owned going forward. Upon retiring, Shirley worked as a volunteer at Kaiser Hospital in Riverside. She loved doing this and brought joy to every department she volunteered in. She was named Kaiser's Volunteer of the Year and received great recognition for this honor. It was a very proud moment for her family. Shirley loved to garden and grew vegetables every year. She was known for her tomatoes and green bell peppers. She was always giving parts of her annual harvest to family, friends and neighbors. She was always so proud of her veggies! She was a huge sports fan. She loved to sit and watch sports on TV. When Scott moved to San Diego, he would come visit Shirley on the weekends and sit and watch whatever game that was on with her. They both enjoyed just hanging out together and doing something they both enjoyed. Shirley was very knowledgeable in all sports and was not just a casual fan. She loved the Lakers, Rams and of course her beloved Anaheim Angels. Shirley held season tickets for the Angels and was in attendance at Game 7 in 2002 when they won the World Series. She also celebrated her 90th birthday with family and friends in a suite at Anaheim Stadium watching her Angels. Shirley was a dog lover She always had a dog in her home. Her dogs Peanut, Le Beau, Duchess, Missy, Izzy and Gio were all family to her and they all brought her great joy. She was also a great dog sitter for her daughter Leslie's dogs Carli and Mona, even though during one visit they managed to pull down a cake she had just baked off of a table and eat it all while she was gone. Leslie and Shirley loved to take a day trip to go shopping at South Coast Plaza. They would spend the whole day shopping and would eat at their favorite restaurant for lunch. It was a great girl's trip that they both thoroughly enjoyed. Shirley was also a risk taker when it came to cars. She had one of the first VW Bugs and when a new car company by the name of Saturn started making cars, she got one of the first cars they made. She was loyal to Saturn until they shut down. The dealership knew her by her first name and appreciated her support. Shirley loved to go on vacation. When her children were young, she loved staying at the beach. She would sit on the sand and read a book and watch her kids play in the water. She loved being in the sun. She also enjoyed driving back home to the Midwest and visiting family and friends in Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Once her children were grown, she started to expand her vacations to Hawaii, Mexico and cruises. Finally, she decided to go to Europe and experience true international travel. She always said her trip to Europe was her best vacation ever. She also made a trip to Japan to experience another culture. Shirley had a special place in her heart for each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. They all knew that she loved them and that she cared deeply for them. She took an interest in everything each of them did. She would always be there for them with encouragement, support and unconditional love. She was also ready to listen and give advise, if asked to. Robert, Ryan, Kaylee, Reagan. Robert C., Andrew and Taylor will all miss her very much. Every holiday season Shirley would spend a day baking Christmas treats with her friend La Verne Kussin. They would make tin after tin of cookies, fudge and bon bons. She would give a tin to friends, family, the postman, trash collectors, anyone she could to spread Christmas cheer. When La Verne moves away, she continued this tradition with her daughter Leslie. They both looked forward to it each and every year. Shirley was an avid reader. She enjoyed suspense novels the best. She was a big John Grisham fan. She would read a book and then give it to her son Scott to read. Once he read it, they would then discuss it and see what each thought about it. Scott enjoyed the discussion afterwards, more than the actual books themselves. Reading kept Shirley sharp until she was stricken with dementia in 2011. The Lord almost took Shirley home in 2000. She had fallen and hit her head. A few weeks later, she was having severe headaches. When Kaiser took an x-ray of her head, they found a blood clot on her brain. They operated on Shirley and after she came out of surgery, she slipped into a coma. It was bleak for a week, but with her son in law Rob playing the guitar and Scott and Leslie singing in her room one evening, she just opened her eyes and gave a look that said what are you 3 crazy people doing? She made a full recovery. Once Shirley's dementia took hold, it slowly robbed her of the things she loved. Reading, doing the daily crossword puzzle, traveling, living on her own, having a pet, remembering family and friends names, expressing a complete thought and finally staying awake for more than a few hours a day. This disease is cruel and unrelenting. Especially for Shirley, who was always so independent and active even in her late 80's. Shirley never really understood what was happening to her and why her life changed so much so quickly. Shirley was a member of Eden Lutheran Church for 60 years. Both Leslie and Scott were baptized and confirmed at Eden. She volunteered to drive members to church on Sunday, when they were not able to drive themselves. She was active in church groups and was well known within the congregation. Shirley touched many lives with her wit, sense of humor, compassion and kind words. She was honest with people and never a phony. You could always count on her. When she said she would do something or she would be there, she was true to her word and always on time. She was an inspiration to people who thought life ended at 70 and the poster child for living for today. The only challenge she ever lost was to dementia, but there is no shame in that. She was so very special to us all and we will miss her presence in our lives. We will all carry fond memories of her that will continue to make us smile. Cheers to you Shirley, to a life well lived. Shirley is now with our Lord and Savior, enjoying His grace and salvation. Shirley is survived by: Daughter: Leslie Nagby and son in law Rob Nagby Son: Scott Fifer and daughter in law Allison Fifer Grandsons: Robert Nagby and his wife Audra Puccio_Nagby and Ryan Nagby Graddaughters: Kaylee Fifer and Reagan Fifer Great grandsons: Robert Nagby and Andrew Nagby Great granddaughter: Taylor Nagby. A service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday September 5, 2015 at Eden Lutheran Church 4725 Brockton Ave in Riverside, Ca. 92506
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