Shirley Ruth Sepulveda

Shirley Ruth Sepulveda, a longtime Boulder Creek resident, passed away on January 5, 2024 at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz after a short illness. She was 88 years old.

Born in Cass Lake, Minnesota to Walter and Pearl Nagel in 1935, she moved west with her family in 1940. She spent her growing up years in the Palo Alto and Los Trancos Woods (Portola Valley) before moving back to Palo Alto where she raised her two daughters Shelly and Vicky, and worked at Stanford Hospital as a Nurses Aide.

After living in San Jose & Los Gatos, she moved to Boulder Creek in 1984, the town she truly loved. She had close friendships with her Boulder Brook neighbors that endured through floods, earthquakes and power outages. She often loved pet sitting for neighbors and especially enjoyed the holiday get togethers and barbecues that were held there. She would often be seen walking to town with her Grandson Morgan, or attending the old timers picnics at Bea Bushnells house. A favorite memory of hers was walking down West Park drive to town. The gift of never learning to drive was seeing the beautiful trees, flowers and sights on each walk to town she took. Another loved pastime was Sunday drives looking for antiques and treasures with her husband Johnny.

Everyone who knew Shirley also knew she always had a story to tell, and she would love to stop and talk to neighbors & individuals passing by when she was out in her yard on South Street. She also developed close friendships there that endured through the great fire, more floods and the pandemic. Feisty, Strong and Spirited, she was very much a part of Boulder Creek as Boulder Creek was a part of her.

She is survived by her sister Joanne Lyons of Foresthill; daughters Michelle D'Antoni and Victoria Loeffler of Santa Cruz; grandsons Morgan Wade of Spokane, Samuel Loeffler of Emeryville, Ryan Chew of Oakland and Tyler Chew of Scotts Valley; also a great-grandson Maxwell Wade of Spokane.

She is preceded in death by her sister Betty O'Grady of Napa, and husbands, John Sepulveda, Jack McQuillan and Robert D'Antoni.

A celebration of life will be held at the Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department Hall on July 14, 2024 at 2 PM Please be prepared to share your favorite stories of her!

Published in Press Banner · July 8, 2024