Obituary of Shirley Crosby Pierce

Shirley Crosby Pierce peacefully passed away on Monday February 23, 2015 surrounded by close friends and family. She touched so many lives with her creative spirit and amazing teaching skills, reaching students of all ages, in all walks of life. Shirley grew up in both Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts and graduated from Framingham State Teachers College, the first teaching college in the United States. She began her 36 year career at the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation in Arizona and ended it at Cabrillo and Peterson Middle Schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District. An outstanding storyteller, she used her theater background not only to produce school plays, but to bring History and English classes to life. She also launched the District's first Quilting Class, that doubled as peer counseling, where every student completed a treasured quilt of her own. Never one to be daunted by challenge, she took a group of middle school students to England for the academic adventure of a lifetime. Once retired, she continued to promote understanding of Egyptian history as a docent at the Rosicrucian Museum. She remained close to countless students and their families all her life. Shirley married the love of her life, Robert Osgood Pierce, and they recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary. They raised five "children" - their beloved dogs Bonnie, Liebshin, Tasha, Angel, and their current pup, Lily. Together they enjoyed entertaining friends with gourmet meals and active discussions, from Middle East politics to philosophy. They travelled the world, including exotic cruises and three grand trips to Egypt where they often disguised themselves as Egyptian citizens for added adventures. Shirley also enjoyed painting, poetry, baseball, letter writing (always with her famous calligraphy), and creating a lush flower garden on her deck overlooking the forest in their Scotts Valley home. And she could always be found reading three newspapers "cover to cover" every morning to keep current with local, regional and world news. The last few weeks before her passing, Rob remained steadfastly at her side, whispering love stories from their long life together and promising her that "he would find her again." Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Shirley's life at Santa Cruz Memorial, 1927 Ocean Street Ext., Santa Cruz on Saturday March 21, 2015, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. Please contact Bernadette by March 17 at (408) 480-3649 or [email protected] if would like to attend a private reception following the service.