Shirlee Jane Anderson Gadette

Our mother, grandmother and precious friend now knows the answer to The Big Secret. Shirl/Mom/GG was an impish fairy, savior of strays (both animal and human), and a formidable, superwoman-single-mom of two kids and two grandkids. She was a feisty, hilarious little steamroller with the face of a movie star. Woe to anyone that stood in her way whenever she had set a course of action, especially where her children or friends were concerned. Yet, inside her tiny, 5-foot frame beat the benevolent heart the size of a leviathan.

In her youth she was a cheerleader at East High School, where she turned many a young man's head and continued to do so during her future peripatetic lifestyle in California. While there, she trained for her pilot's license, completed her training as an x-ray technician at Stanford, and soon after married a sexy, Italian man who eventually became the TV show director for You Asked For It and ABC TV's Wide World of Sports, and our dad. After divorcing him, Mom drove herself and her two young kids (in a 1951 Chevy sedan) from the Hollywood suburbs to Salt Lake City, Utah, her hometown.

As a single parent she successfully raised two rambunctious kids during the crazy 60's (better than many two-parent teams could have), while concurrently pursuing her career as an x-ray technician for a top SLC orthopedic specialist. She provided her kids with lessons in ballet, music (piano, cello, guitar, electric bass, baritone), and experiences in athletics (baseball, swimming). Mom enjoyed skiing with her family, favoring Brighton, her favorite place on earth, where she also loved to hike and fish. A talented oil painter and master seamstress, she also was the recipient of a trophy while competing in a women's golf tournament. Our home was often filled with the raucous laughter of her rowdy friends during their bridge club gatherings. She loved animals, and filled our home with a constant supply of critters: cats, dogs, and occasionally, the odd newt, turtle, rabbit and, a few times, a gaggle of tadpoles we kept briefly in the bathtub. Gregarious and generous, Mom was always ready to provide a meal to those who found themselves alone on Thanksgiving, or companionship to people who were without friends or family.

'G.G.' treated her grandchildren like her own children, fostering and enforcing the importance of good manners and politenessa