Obituary of Shirley L. Gilmer

Shirley Gilmer, a long-time Camas, Washington resident, passed peacefully into the Lord’s care on Friday, March 24th, 2023.  She was born August 18th, 1932 in Camas, the first daughter to Alice and Lawrence Beauchamp.

Shirley attended Camas High School where she met Darrel Gilmer, her high school sweetheart.  Darrel and Shirley married in 1952 and settled in Camas where they were lifelong partners for 68 years.  They had two daughters and one son, all who reside in Washington State; Kim Gilmer of White Salmon; Karen Welinski of Camas and Todd Gilmer of Kingston.  Shirley also attended business school in Portland, OR and worked at McCall Oil Company in Camas for many years.

Shirley leaves behind her a legacy of smiles, kindness and loving care for her family.  It brought her great joy to bring everyone together for Sunday family dinners and birthdays.  She enjoyed cooking, sewing and walking around the neighborhood.  Her infamous “Twinkie Cake” was called upon for many family get togethers.  She was also blessed with some very good friends that she met through school and later during her adult life.  Shirley was a long-time member of Zion Lutheran Church and served the parish for many years on the Alter Guild.

The highlights of her golden years were spent traveling with Darrel visiting historic & scenic places across the country and frequent visits to the Oregon Coast.  But what brought her the most joy was the birth of her 4 grandchildren: Kyle, Matt, Ryan and Jenna.  Her relationship with her grandchildren was truly special, as she always had fresh baked goods for their visits and was their biggest fan while watching their sporting events.      

We are extremely blessed to have had Shirley for over 90 years.  Shirley is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Gwen & Allen Stoller; daughter Kim Gilmer; daughter and son-in-law Karen & John Welinski; son and daughter-in-law Todd & Barb Gilmer and 4 grandchildren: Kyle & Ryan Gilmer and Matt & Jenna Welinski.  We will all miss her dearly.  Shirley is also preceded in death by her husband, mom and dad, and her sister, Jane Holt.

The family would like to thank the wonderful hospice nurses/chaplain at Community Home Health & Hospice and the friendly staff at Mercy Family Home for their warmth, care and expertise that Shirley experienced for over 4 years.

A memorial service in her honor will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 17, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church in Camas, WA with a grave site service immediately following at Camas Cemetery.  Memorial donations can be made to Community Home Health & Hospice of Vancouver (https://www.chhh.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/) or Zion Lutheran Church of Camas (https://www.zionluthcamas.org/donate.html).