Shirly Lee Davena-Thulander- Oshiro

 OBITUARY – SHIRLY LEE DAVENA-THULANDER-OSHIRO

Shirly Lee Oshiro surrounded by her loving family, died July 11, 2019.  She was 81 years old.  Shirly was born November 16, 1937 in San Francisco, California and was adopted by her wonderful parents Lawrence and Dorothy Davena when she was 6 months old.  The family moved to Napa from El Cerrito when Shirly was 8 years old.  She attended local schools and graduated from Napa High in 1956.  She held the student body office of Commissioner of Rallies and was also a pom-pom girl for 2 years.  She met and married her husband, Robert Edward Thulander in 1958.  Together they raised 3 children and were active 4-H Leaders.

In 1980 Shirly graduated from Napa Junior College, majoring in Spanish and a minor in Humanities. She continued her education while running 3 ranches of pears and hay, along with a very successful Christmas Tree plantation.  She graduated from the University of San Francisco majoring in Business with a minor in Spanish.

Shirly moved to Los Angeles after her divorce, where she met and married her second husband, Robert (Bob) Yukinobu Oshiro.  They moved to Hawaii in 1985 where she completed her teaching certification in Spanish at the University of Hawaii, and attended the University of Guadalajara, Mexico as part of her certification program.  She taught high school Spanish for several years in Hawaii while raising her two step- daughters, then returned with her husband to Napa in 2001 where she lived for the rest of her life.

Upon her return to Napa, Shirly served on the Napa County Grand Jury for two terms and earned the California’s Grand Jurors’ Association 2007-08 Excellence in Reporting Award for “Renovation of Farmworker Housing Centers by the Napa County Housing Authority: A Case Study in the Failure of Governmental Stewardship”.  She was a life member and President of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars for 2 years, District Chaplin for 2 years and together with her husband Bob (a Vietnam Veteran) ran Bingo games at the Yountville Veterans Home for 3 years.

Shirly was very active in her local churches.  She and a wonderful group of women from Napa Valley Baptist Church founded and expanded the “Feeding His Sheep” program.  They cooked and delivered hot meals every Wednesday to those who needed a helping hand, including shut-ins, and anyone recovering from a surgery.  Others just enjoyed the home cooking.

Shirly and Bob traveled all over the United States in their car loaded with suitcases and their dog, Momi.  They also cruised to Alaska and made several more trips there to see Shirly’s brother Ron Davena and his family.  But…. HER most memorable trip…. And the one that changed her life, was when she traveled to Ukraine and Israel with a group of 45, both Christians and Jews, through a program to rescue as many Jews out of Ukraine and Russia and into Israel as possible in order to escape Anti-Semitism.  It proved to be a life-threatening event.  She and her group went to Babi Yar in Kiev, the site on one of the worst recorded atrocities from WWII.  When her group arrived in Israel in “Aliyah” and freedom, Israeli Officials honored her group with a special dinner and Thanks from the Prime Minister of Israel.

Shirly is survived by her loving husband Bob, her daughters Lisa Wyatt and Starr Lammon, her stepdaughters; Dr. Resa Oshiro (Dr. Max Reiss, Taye and Sachi), and Ren Oshiro ( Sean and Terra Van Dine), granddaughters Jeirlynn Ibanez (Jacob,  Alivia and Kenadi) Ashley Lammon, Nicolette Lammon, and grandson Jared Wyatt along with great-granddaughter Ella Nicole Wyatt.  She is preceded in death by her dear son, Lawrence (Larry) Philip Thulander.

She is also survived by her brother Ron Davena (Matilda), their daughters Jacquelyn Ahlstrand (Adrianne; Dean, Robyn);  Robyn (Butch Lincoln, Lian, JD) and Janis (Kevin Ivanoff, Glenn, Reece, Luke), along with her niece Wendy Thulander, along with numerous growing family members.

In lieu of flowers, Shirly asks for donations to Feeding His Sheep c/o Napa Valley Life Church; 2303 Trower Ave., Napa, CA  94558.

Funeral Service to be held August 1, 2019 at 11:00 am at Tulocay Cemetery and Funeral Home, 411 Coombsville Rd, Napa, CA 94558.  Interment at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery (with full color honors). Her family is providing limited comfort transportation for internment.

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