Shirley Ann Hamilton

August 18, 1945 - November 19, 2016

Shirley Ann Hamilton, age 71, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2016 surrounded by her family at Oregon Health and Science University.

Shirley was born on August 18, 1945 in Berkeley, California, to Howard and Mary Wilson (Prine). She graduated from Richmond Union High School in 1963, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Francisco in 1991 and a Master's Degree from Golden Gate University in 1995. Shirley was preceded in passing by her parents, and is survived by her loving husband of 48 years, Richard B. Hamilton; her son, Gary T. Elliott Jr. and his wife Lisa of Vacaville, Ca; four grandchildren, Timothy Santos of Littlerock, CA, Chris Smith of Rose Hill, NC, Matthew Elliott of Vancouver, WA, and Sarah Elliott of Vacaville, CA; five great-grandchildren; brother Howard Wilson Jr. of Vancouver, WA, and sister-in-law Susan Wilson of Vancouver, WA. She also had numerous cousins from the Wilson and Prine families.

Shirley met her husband, Richard, in the fall of 1967 at Naval Air-station Alameda while he was in the US Navy. They married in November of 1968, and lived most of their 48 married years in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily in Vacaville and Vallejo. Shirley worked at Solano Community College for over 25 years and retired in 2003 as the College's Curriculum Technician. Upon retirement, she and Richard moved to Vancouver, Washington, where they remained until her passing.

Shirley's passions were Shakespearean theater, bowling, and traveling. She began attending live theater in 1985, and traveled to Ashland, Oregon each year to attend the annual Shakespeare Festival. She fell in love with Shakespearean theater after attending an English literature class at Solano College and has attended countless live theater performances of Shakespeare and other plays. Shirley was also an avid bowler. She competed in two bowling leagues at Big Al's Bowling Alley, in Vancouver, where she maintained a 146 bowling average. But most of all, Shirley loved to travel. The travel bug bit her in the mid 1980s when she and Richard traveled to what was then West Germany. They have since traveled all over Europe including France, Germany, England, and Scotland. Their most recent trip was a river cruise in the Netherlands, and they had been planning a trip to Italy next summer.

Prior to her passing, Shirley was treated with the utmost care and compassion from the brilliant staff at the Oregon Health and Science University's (OHSU) cardiovascular intensive care unit, in Portland, Oregon. Please consider a donation in Shirley's memory to support the OHSU Guest House, which, operating in partnership with the Ronald McDonal House, will provide a place to stay for patients and family members of patients who face not only a medical crisis, but also the logistical and financial demand of finding a place to stay in Portland. Donations can be sent to:

OHSU Foundation

Mail Stop 45

PO BOX 4000

Portland, OR 97208-9852

Or online at www.onwardohsu.org/donation

A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 2:00pm at the Firstenburg Community Center, located at 700 NE 136th Avenue, Vancouver, Washington 98684.