Shirley A. Martin

Aug. 30, 1932 ~ March 6, 2020

Shirley Ann (Shupe) Martin was born in Portland, Oregon on August 30, 1932. She attended Grant High School and graduated from University of Oregon with honors in her majors: Education and Music. She obtained a Masters in English Literature and Graduate degree from Portland State University.

Shirley’s teaching career started in Astoria, Oregon and lead to her teaching part-time in Grants Pass, Oregon. She spent the majority of her career as a teacher at Washougal High School, where she taught English for more than 25 years.

Throughout her adult life, Shirley was an accomplished pianist and organist at many churches. She found joy in sharing her piano skills by teaching children of all ages.

She loved traveling abroad, having visited and explored Europe many times. Shirley also relished visiting the Oregon coast. She was an avid reader and active in many book clubs over the course of her life, cultivating her passion for literature. Shakespeare was her favorite author having read and taught his works to many students over the years. The Shakespeare Festival in Ashland was an event she looked forward to sharing with her students almost every year. She enjoyed attending the symphony, musicals, plays, and an occasional opera. In retirement, she also pursued learning new languages and met one of her best and most cherished friends in a German class.

Shirley is survived by her husband, John E. Martin. Shirley and John met when he was a pastor and she the organist at the Christian Disciples of Christ Church in Vancouver, Washington. They were lifelong sweethearts, having been married for over 60 years. She is also survived by her four loving children, Karl, Karina, Kyle and Kevin; three grandchildren, Jordan, Emily, and Isabelle; as well as her son-in-law, Randy; and grandson-in-law, Sean.