Shirley Lucille Abruzzini

Shirley was born in Mobridge, South Dakota to Alma and Melvin Christensen. As a young girl, during the Great Depression, she travelled with her parents, picking crops through Washington State, to settle in Gilroy, CA. Her natural creativity served her well during lean times, and she learned many sewing and needle arts from her talented and resourceful mother. This artistry with fabrics and all forms of textiles would bring her joy, as well as inspire her to share that joy with others throughout her long and wonderful life.

She married Oscar Abruzzini in 1949, and lived in Gilroy. She is survived by her sister Betty King from Grass Valley, and predeceased by her brother Richard Christensen. She is survived by four sons, Michael, Randall, Patrick, and Gino, 13 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.

Shirley became widowed in 1992, and in 2000 moved to Oakdale, CA to be closer to her children and grandchildren.

She was a wonderful, charismatic, accomplished woman and will be missed by many, and remembered by all who knew her. We will carry her in our hearts, and her legacy lives on. We know she is happily reunited with those who have gone before, and look forward to the day we will be together again.

"She crafted her 'Quilt of Life' and we were all the pieces she gathered and connected."

Published in Gilroy Dispatch · April 23, 2021