Shirley D Ewart

Shirley Dorothy Ewart, of Milwaukie, Oregon, died peacefully at her residence in Clackamas, Oregon on February 13, 2017. She was 95 years old. Shirley was born in the American Consulate building in Hankow, China on July 4, 1921. She was the eldest of four children, born to Maxwell and Dorothy Ewart of London, England. At the age of almost one, Shirley and her parents moved to London, England where she remained throughout her childhood and young adulthood. She was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts when World War II broke out in England. She left school to join the British Army. After Basic Training, she was given orders to report to Trelissick, on the River Fal, where she served as a Medical Orderly. It was there that she met William Strauch, her first husband, who was an officer in the United States Coast Guard. She married in 1944, and moved to America. During her life, she lived in Connecticut, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Maryland, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, California, Washington and Oregon. In the final 4 decades of her life, she wrote 4 books, won a primary election in Oregon, obtained two college degrees (B.S., Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley; M.S., Anthropology, San Jose State University), taught college classes, joined a dragonboat racing team, and became a member of Daughters of the British Empire, and an honorary member of the Pacific Northwest Cornish Society. In her nineties, Mom lived in her own house in Milwaukie, Oregon. After surgery, in 2012, she suffered a massive stroke. She spent 3 months in rehabilitative therapy, with the hope of regaining all of her abilities. She made significant progress in speech, but the rest of her functioning was not enough to return to her home and be on her own again. She remained in the loving care of Linda and Johnny, as well as (the very patient) May, at the Care With Love home in Clackamas, Oregon. Shirley loved nature, camping, hiking, and gardening in all kinds of weather. She had visited almost all of the United States and lived in lived in 10 states. In all of her residences, she immersed herself in the communities and cultures. She volunteered and contributed everywhere she went. She was a champion of the underdog, and always stood up for those with less power and influence. She enjoyed traveling, and had been all over the world. Her experiences shaped her to the person she ended up: one her children and friends were proud to have known. Her ashes will be scattered in the Willamette River, where she used to practice rowing with her dragonboat racing team; the beautiful Oregon Coast; in Maui under the palm tree with her youngest son’s ashes; in the River Thames in London; and in the Yangtze River, opposite the old American Consulate Building. Shirley was pre-deceased by her son, Michael Strauch of West Palm Beach, Florida, and two husbands. She is survived by her two daughters, Judith (Allen) Diess of Oregon City, Oregon and Elizabeth (David) Ohta of Pukalani, Maui, Hawaii; and her son, Stephen Strauch, of Portland, Oregon. She also leaves behind 7 grandchildren (Marah Strauch, Kimo Ohta, Kerri Mozena, Daniel Strauch, Rachel Ohta, Kory Diess, and Keoki Ohta), 5 great-grandchildren (Malia Mancianti, Rowan Mozena, Lily Ohta, Alice Ohta, and Benjamin Ohta), and many friends.