Shirley “Shirl” Muriel Riley passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 10 in her home in Ajijic at the age of 83, from complications due to a stroke, with family at her side.
Shirley was a proud Newfoundlander, born in Corner Brook on February 28, 1929. At nine years old ºshe moved with her parents Percy and Gwen to Montreal, where some of her dearest friends still reside.
Her favorite memory was her attendance at Ottawa Technical High School to study art. Tech was an all-male trades school, but an exception was made that year to admit women, and her classmates remained friends for many years after.
Shirley married Roger Allan Riley in 1951, a Royal Canadian Engineer in the Armed Forces, who retired as Major and passed away not many years later. Shirley held a several jobs after Army life: hostess in one of the hot-spot clubs in Hull, Quebec; the receptionist at the Brazilian Embassy in Ottawa; and in her 50s, she earned a real-estate license and practiced that profession for some time. While working for an optometrist, she took a liking to popular salesman Mac Morison, and after traveling with him everywhere from Cuba to Malta, they eventually moved to Ajijic where Mac still resides.
Shirley spent the last 14 years living happily and comfortably here, eight of those years with son Mike, who many of you may know as The Computer Guy. She volunteered at the Animal Shelter, helping the spay/neuter team; with Mac, she was very involved in Open Circle; at Christmas, they bought presents and candy for an adopted “family” that lived in a shack down by the waters in Ajijic. She also found part-time work for several locals.
Oil, pencil, and especially pastel painting was her first love, and having built a studio in her home in Riberas, she spent many years sketching and creating there. She sought out the better artists in town and charmed her way into becoming their students. Each was impressed with her artistic skill and was happy to work with her.
Joyce Tomme, one of her oldest and dearest friends here says of her: “Everyone loved Shirley; she had the biggest heart and the least judgmental personality any of us will ever know”. From the poor folks seeking handouts in front of local grocery stores to the basket man walking down the highway on tianguis day, there isn’t a person who didn’t know her and won’t be saddened at her passing.
Mourning her loss are her three sons Michael, Christopher, and Steven; the grandchildren she loved so much: Shannon, Shea, Sean, Matthew, and Erica; much-loved brother-in-law Lorne Riley… and a first great-grandchild on the way.
A drop-in, informal gathering of friends will be held at her home on Tuesday, May 22, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at San Lucas 11 in Riberas, down towards the lake from the Anglican Church. Donations can be made to any heart/stroke foundation. There will be an art exhibit of her much sought-after paintings this fall at the Efren Gonzalez Gallery in Ajijic.
Her family would like to thank those who gave their time to visit Shirley during her last weeks while she was being cared for at home.