Shirley Foust

Shirley E. (Ernst) Foust Life Story Shirley Elizabeth (Ernst) Foust was born on 16 Sep 1928 in Portland, Oregon at the St. Vincent hospital. She was the older of two daughters born to Simon A. Ernst and Mary C. (Gilles) Ernst. Shirley grew up in Portland and attended St. Ignatius elementary school, and St. Mary’s Academy high school in downtown Portland. She was a junior princess in the 1945 St. Mary’s Academy. After graduation she began her working career with the Better Business Bureau in 1946. The company contacted the school and asked them to send their best student in typing and shorthand. They sent Shirley. Her next job was with the Crown Zellerbach Corporation as a secretary. She met her husband, William Lee Foust, Jr., in the Spring of 1947 and they dated for 2 years before getting married on 28 May 1949. Shirley made her wedding dress as well as her “going away suit”. They moved to Corvallis, Oregon where Lee was attending Oregon State University acquiring his degree in Biology and Psychology. They spent their early years moving around living in Albany, Oregon; Columbus, Ohio; Lake Grove, Oregon; and Portland, Oregon. As their family grew they moved to Monmouth, Oregon and ended up back in Corvallis, Oregon where they stayed. Over the years, Shirley held many other jobs as the family moved as part of her husband’s education journey and job opportunities. Her work history included working at the OSU Psychology department [1949-1951]; Gaylord Container Corp [1957-1959]; Ohio Dept. of Counseling [1959-1960]; Western Oregon College [1965-1967]; USDE Project [1973-1983]; LBCC (Linn Benton Community College) [1983-1994]. For the most part, Shirley served as an executive secretary in her employment. They raised three children, two boys and one girl. At the age of 55, Shirley returned to work full-time at Linn-Benton Community college as the executive secretary to the V.P. of Business Affairs. She retired in 1994 at the age of 66. After retirement Shirley traveled with her younger sister, Jean, to Italy, France, Germany, Austria, England, Alaska, and different areas in the United States over a period of 10 years. Shirley never wanted to be a nurse but felt like she became one when she became a caregiver for her husband, Lee, in his later years. Lee passed away on 2 Jul 2016. Shirley was very active in her church. When the Catholic Church permitted women to be lectors, she was one of the first two women to be lectors. She was a lector for 40 years. She was also a Eucharist Minister for 40 years. She served on the Parish Council as a member and as the Chair. She was the typist and editor for the monthly newsletter for 10 years. She was a member of the Volunteer Interfaith Caregivers for 17 years. She began as a driver for people to medical appointments, shopping and errands, and then moved into the office to respond to requests for assistance. Shirley’s hobbies included gardening, refinishing antique furniture, sewing and crafting, garage sales, lunching with friends, and reading. She is an avid book reader enjoying the stories written on a variety of subjects, including westerns, biographies, autobiographies, historical fiction; by some of her favorite authors Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, Bernard Cornwell, Ralph Cotton, Dick & Felix Francis, Andrew Greeley, John Grisham, Robert Parker, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, and Margaret Truman. As you can see she has a wide range of interest. Shirley lived 96 years - 6 months. She is survived by two sons, Steven and Victor; one daughter, Narda; one grandson, Zachary (wife Amanda), and two great-grandsons, Alexander and Matthew. Along with the family there are many relatives and friends to mourn her passing. Shirley’s mass will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Corvallis, Oregon (501 NW 25th), on 29 Mar 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Afterwards there will be a celebration of life in the Social Hall at the church. Inurnment will be at St. Mary’s cemetery in Corvallis.

Tributes

Shirley Foust

September 16, 1928 - February 9, 2025