February 13, 1932 – March 09, 2021
Shirley Louise Krowitz of Reading passed away on March 9, 2021 the age of 89.
Shirley was born in Illinois in on February 13, 1932, and grew up there and in San Diego, where her father was based while serving on the USS Kilty in the Pacific during World War Two. In the 1950s, she discovered the Baha’i faith, and became a devoted believer. All her life, Shirley was a seeker of knowledge, of meaning, and of spirituality. As a young woman, she worked as file clerk, a flight attendant, and a dental assistant. She also co-owned a candy store in San Diego with her former husband, Zander Krowitz. In the mid-1960s, her faith took her and her family to Panama, where the first Baha’i temple in Latin America was being built. She was active in the Baha’i community there, working to create the National Media and National Teaching committees. She also visited the jungles of Panama and enjoyed getting to know the Cuna and Choco tribes.
Shirley had always wanted to attend college, and while she didn’t get the chance after high school, she enrolled in college courses wherever she lived throughout her adult life. One of her proudest accomplishments was earning a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, cum laude, from Harvard Extension School in 2000. She was also a proud and loving mother and grandmother.
In 2011 Shirley moved to Reading, MA, to be closer to her family. She leaves her son, David Krowitz, and daughter-in-law Sandra Larkin, as well as two grandchildren, Benjamin and Natalie Krowitz, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothea and Leslie Herzog, her sisters, Mary Vistercil, Beverly White and Kathy Doran, and her brother Lee Herzog.
Due to the pandemic Shirley’s funeral service and burial at Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield will be private. Gifts in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis TN 38105. www.stjude.org.
