Shirley Dacey

On July 19, 2024, loving wife, mother and friend Shirley Gray Dacey passed away at the age of 91.

Born in Enderlin, North Dakota, Shirley moved to Minnesota as a young child-first to Minneapolis, and then to her beloved Lake Minnetonka, near Mound, Minnesota. Her early years were a mix of care-free lake life and responsibility--being the oldest child of a working single mother. Throw in some mischief and great friends during her teenage years, and she had a happy life. She met and married John Dacey (a Lake Minnetonka boy) in 1957 just as he was joining the US Air Force, and they along with their two children, Lisa and Michael, embarked on an adventure that would allow them to explore many parts of the world. They settled in Cheney in 1975 and made it their final home.

The most important thing to know about Shirley is that she was going to take care of you--whether you wanted her to or not. The maternal instinct in this one was STRONG. She had this combination of humor, kindness and warmth that turned every encounter she had with strangers or friends into moments that mattered and lifted spirits.

Her children were her pride and joy. She was their teacher, cheerleader, defender, and when need be, their disciplinarian. She turned every military move (there were 10!) into a "Happening," and turned every military house into a home.

Shirley worked in the secretarial field off and on throughout her adult life, but really found her calling working at Eastern Washington University in the Psychology Department. She loved working closely with the undergraduate and graduate students, acting as advisor and helping to make their Eastern experience comfortable and memorable. She was honored to receive the EWU Distinguished Service Award in 1997, in no small part due to the outpouring of student support on her behalf. Shirley and John took to the Eastern community becoming actively involved in supporting Eastern athletics over the years.

In her retirement she remained active with golf, friends, gardening, cooking and travel--wintering each year in Hawaii, and spreading her uniquely "Shirley" brand of love and friendship.

Shirley is preceded in death by her beloved husband, John, parents John and Hazel, and brother Ron. Shirley is survived by daughter Lisa; son, Michael; son-in-law, Craig; daughter-in-law Tanya. There are numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, loved sister-in-law, nieces and nephew-in-laws. And of course, her family of friends.

Shirley has been interned at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Please join the family to share memories at her Celebration of Life on September 7 at 2 pm at Xanny's Restaurant at Bunker's Resort at Williams Lake, Cheney. After all she is a lake girl at heart.