Shirley L. Stoffregen (November 8, 1929 – February 18, 2022)

Shirley Lorraine Stoffregen passed away quietly on Friday, February 18, 2022.  Shirley was the last surviving member of her birth family.  She was born on November 8, 1929, the youngest of five children.  She was preceded in death by her father, Samuel Julius Rickles, and mother, Juliette Erdrich Rickles.  She was also preceded in death by her siblings, Rhea Cohen, Grace Lax, Harriet Seigel, and Arnold Rickles all were born and raised in Seattle Washington.

Shirley met Paul Stoffregen at a YWCA dance and they married in 1949.  They began their family in Seattle where they were blessed with three sons, Brian, Larry, and Thomas.  In 1956, Shirley and family moved to Portland for a wonderful job opportunity for Paul to run and later own the Dahnken franchise in Oregon.  Everyone participated in the family business where Shirley developed a passion for the fine jewelry department and the three boys also benefited with meaningful work and management experience.  While running a small family-owned business took the major part of the week, both Shirley and Paul were founding and active members of Gethsemane Lutheran Church.  They also active in the local Elks lodge, square dancing, numerous card clubs (mostly Bridge and Pinochle), and gained an interest in cruising and traveling.

One of Shirley's proudest accomplishments was being able to send and support her three sons through college which led to successful careers in ministry, accounting, and healthcare.  After closing the Dahnken stores and retiring, Shirley and Paul traveled full-time in their RV for several years before settling in Yuma, Arizona in the early 1990s.  Together they continued their passions and became charter and active members of Gloria de Cristo Lutheran Church in the Yuma Foothills, traveled, and joined many card playing clubs.  Shirley worked for Harris Tours of Yuma, which enabled her and Paul to continue traveling in the Southwest for several more years.

Paul battled cancer for several months before passing in August of 2000.  Shirley lived a strong and independent life for the last 22 years.  While she cut back on the travel and dancing, she expanded her card playing to six days a week, reserving Saturday for laundry and Sunday morning for church.  You could tell which day of the week it was by asking if she was playing bridge, mahjong, or pinochle. She also loved playing hearts, pitch, three-card poker, cribbage, and Yahtzee.  Shirley didn't start to slow down until her 90's, playing cards only 2-3 days a week.

Her three sons and daughters-in-law were with her from early February until she passed away peacefully on the 18th.  Shirley is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law: Brian and Linda, Larry and Kim, Thomas and Patricia.  She is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Kevin, Eric, Michael, Joel, Matthew, Kyle, and Kelli; and six great grandchildren: Megan, Katelyn, Elise, Nathan, Allie, and Ethan.

A memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church, 2215 S 8th Ave., at 11:00 on Saturday, March 12.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, if you would like to provide a memorial gift in Shirley's honor, you can make a donation to Faith Lutheran Church in Yuma, Gloria de Cristo Lutheran Church in Yuma, or another charitable organization of your choice.