Shirley Marie Storer (formerly known as Shirley Drapeau) passed away peacefully in her home on January 30, 2020. She was married on August 25, 2005 in Couer d’Alene to Gary Storer who passed away on February 19, 2019. She had three sons, Matthew A Fredley, Charles “Michael” Williams and Daniel T. Williams. Shirley also had seven grandchildren, Matthew Fredley Jr of Beaverton, Oregon, Mariah Williams of St. Helen’s, Oregon, Tyler Williams of Moses Lake, Jazihia Decker of Portland, Oregon, Raven and Brooklynn Williams of Moses lake and Izzabella and Eimo Fredley of Moses Lake and one great-granddaughter, Malia Fredley of Beaverton.
Shirley was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 5, 1954 to Ramona (Edwards) and Daniel “Mazak” Zaleski. She had five siblings and is survived by sisters Suzy and Karen. She attended St. John Bosco school in Chicago, and was an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Shirley loved adventure and traveled much during her life. She spent time in Florida, California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona and many other places throughout the United States.
Shirley obtained a degree in criminal justice and worked as a paralegal. She also worked at a coffee shop in San Francisco in the 70’s where she got to meet Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. She worked at various bars and restaurants in Portland, Oregon. In Moses Lake, she sold insurance through Aflac. She loved music and poetry. She used to sing in the bars she worked at that had live music. She once filled in with a minor country western celebrity named Allen Jackson before his rise to fame. She loved to listen to Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Linda Ronstadt.
Shirley devoted her life to raising her children and helping with her grandchildren. Shirley’s youngest son, Daniel is disabled and Shirley has cared for his needs every day of his life. She worked hard to try and provide the best she could for all her children and grandchildren, mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. She stood up for the ones she loved and always tried to point them in the right direction. Shirley lived her Catholic faith each day by helping others in need. We remember her always telling people who were going through troubled times to “Just put it in God’s hands and He will handle it.” She also believed strongly in her native ways. Shirley attended many different Pow-wows throughout America. The last ceremony she danced at was at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation outside a small Indian town named “Wambli” in 1985. She was able to dance the entire “Sun Dance” which was four days long. She passed her Native American Heritage and beliefs on to her children and grandchildren who were influenced strongly to embrace their culture and take pride in it. Shirley spent the last decade and a half of her life enjoying the “old ways” and learning how to can fruits and vegetables. She even learned how to can the meat that her husband, Gary, and she raised. She loved to spend time in the kitchen and was an amazing cook who loved to bake treats for her grandchildren with whom she made lasting memories. She loved them very much. She was an amazing woman, wife, mother, sister and especially, grandmother with a heart of gold. She was loved tremendously and will be missed even more.
Funeral services were held at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Moses Lake, Washington and her final resting place is Meyer Falls Cemetery in Kettle Falls, Washington.