Obituary: Shirley Goodall Lewis, 91, Of Wilton

Information and Photo Courtesy Bouton Funeral Home

WILTON, CT — Shirley Goodall Lewis, of Wilton, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2023, at Norwalk Hospital. For several days prior to her death, members of Shirley’s family had been constantly by her side.

Shirley was born on August 19, 1931, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada to C.B. and Olive Goodall. After graduating from Moncton High School in 1949, she trained at St. John General Hospital and became a Registered Nurse.

Moving to the United States in 1954, Shirley worked as an RN at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Three years later, Shirley met her future husband Charlie Lewis at the Old South Church in Boston. At the time, Charlie was serving in the U.S. Air Force at Hanscom Field. Within months of their marriage in June 1958, Charlie was transferred to Pepperrel Air Force Base in St. Johns, Newfoundland, for two and a half years and their first daughter was born there. Subsequently, they were stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, and Sandia Base in New Mexico.

By the time Charlie was honorably discharged from the Air Force, Shirley was a U.S. citizen. They moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area and then, in 1971, to Rockville, Maryland, where Shirley returned to nursing, working at night. Believing RNs were not sufficiently compensated or respected at that time, Shirley left nursing yet always appreciated how nursing taught her “the right way to do things.”

1975 brought the Lewis family to Wilton, where Shirley expected to stay only a few years before having to move again. Nearly forty-eight years later, Shirley and Charlie had not moved, having raised their children in Wilton with Charlie commuting to New York City until he retired. Shirley was active in the Newcomers and then Encore clubs, Philanthropic Education Organization (P.E.O), Wilton Womens Club and Wilton Villagers, among others. She also performed as a member of the Treblemakers.

Shirley learned Word Perfect from her daughter Cathy and started a word processing business in the 1980s. Shirley earned her associates degree from Norwalk Community College. In 1992, she was proud to earn her bachelors degree in journalism with honors from Southern Connecticut State University. In the 1990s, Shirley started her public relations business and also wrote articles for The Wilton Bulletin. Many of her articles raised awareness of Lyme Disease. She also put her public relations know-how to work for the organizations she volunteered for, such as the Wilton League of Women Voters, and especially for the 75th Anniversary of the organization, as well as for the Wilton Arts Council in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Shirley was devoted to her church, The United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston; she sang in the choir for many years. She always cooked a delicious Sunday dinner, played a good game of bridge, and loved to walk, especially at the beach. She spent a great deal of time with her grandchildren when they were young, taking care of them and often playing piano with them sitting on her lap or next to her.

When complications related to illness impacted her ability to walk a decade ago, Shirley moved to The Greens at Cannondale, and still spent copious time with her family there and at home. Often when she would visit home, she would take a walk with her walker right down the road and back. Shirley played piano for the Protestant services at The Greens and she and Charlie became a fixture in The Greens community. It was in 2020 and with the pandemic that Shirley’s health became a greater challenge. She moved to Wilton Meadows Nursing & Rehabilitation Center a year ago. For as long as Shirley lived at The Greens or Wilton Meadows, Charlie visited her for several hours almost every day.

In addition to Charlie, Shirley is survived by Susan Lewis, Christine and Dorel Radu, and Sharon Grace, as well as her grandchildren Timothy, James and Olivia Grace. Shirley was predeceased by her daughter Catherine “Cathy” Lewis and her brother Ralph Goodall.

The family would like to thank everyone at Wilton Meadows and The Greens, as well as at Norwalk Hospital.

A memorial service for Shirley will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., at The United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston, 49 Weston Road, Westport, CT 06880. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shirley’s church, or to a house of worship or charity of one’s choice.