Shirley Marie Comeau

Shirley Marie (Carr) Comeau, age 86, passed away peacefully in her Walpole, Massachusetts home surrounded by her loving family on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Born in Norwood, Massachusetts on February 2, 1930, she was the daughter of the late James Albert and Julie Josephine (Folan) Carr. She was raised in Westwood, Massachusetts and graduated from the Westwood High School with the Class of 1947. While in high school, Shirley met Jerry Comeau, a classmate, at the senior dance and fell in love.

Shortly after graduation, Shirley took a position with the Norwood Trust Bank as a teller and later became a teller at the Norwood Co-Operative Bank. While attending a wedding at Saint Catherine's Church when Jerry was home on leave from the service, he surprised Shirley by proposing to her on the front steps. Shirley waited for Jerry to return home from his tour of service in Korea and they were married on May 11, 1952 in Saint Margaret Mary's Church in Westwood. They made their home in Walpole, Massachusetts where they spent 65 loving years together. In addition to caring for her young family, Shirley continued working at the Norwood Co-Op, eventually earning the title of Head Teller. Her nurturing ways, however, pulled her from work to care for her aging parents.

Shirley loved music, she would play various genres and artists throughout her house on any given day. This naturally led her to her talent for dancing. She and Jerry enjoyed dancing the polka together and followed the Dick Pillar Orchestra. In addition, she was a member of the Scrambled Eights Square Dancing Group. As the membership of the Scrambled Eights got older they reinvented themselves as the Dominoes gathering to enjoy a game of dominoes and lunch together. Her dancing skills were not always showcased in public, as Shirley loved dancing in her kitchen, rocking babies to lullabies, or teaching her grandchildren how to ballroom dance.

Shirley was an incredibly social person and would make lifelong friends in an instant. She had a special relationship with "The Golden Girls" from the Norwood Co-Op and formed a tight sisterhood bond with the Mermaids Water Aerobics Group at the Mass Hospital School in Canton. She enjoyed sharing life stories with the all of these incredibly wonderful women; each supporting one another through lifes challenges. There was no telling what mischief and adventures these ladies were up to, especially at Punks Corner. Shirley was very giving of herself and her time, she always supported her friends in any type of event they took part in, including the Walk for Hunger, High Tea for Hospice, the Ovarian Cancer Walk, and the fundraising walk for Old Colony Hospice.

While Shirley was always active in and around her beloved hometown of Walpole, she did enjoy escaping to her second home on Long Lake in Harrison, Maine. She spent countless hours canoeing, swimming, hosting clam bakes, and spending time with family and friends.

Shirley's family always came first. She loved being a wife, mother, Nana, great Nana and enjoyed caring for her family. She provided them with wonderful meals that she made in her kitchen, always including her huge yeast rolls. Her title of Best Grandmother on the Planet was derived from years of spending time with her grandchildren, playing with them in their make believe worlds. She was always there supporting each one of her grandchildren as they grew up, and was proud of all of their accomplishments.
Whether you knew her as Shirl the Pearl, Dizzy, Red, Nana Banana, or the Energizer Bunny, you knew you had a cherished friend, who was loved by all who met her and were fortunate enough to call her friend.

Beloved wife of Gerard E. "Jerry" Comeau.
Loving mother of Catherine M. Lew and her husband Michael of Needham, Edward L. Comeau and his wife Sandra of Walpole, Patricia A. Comeau of Norfolk, James A. Comeau of Westwood, Jeanne E. LeSage and her husband Steve of Norfolk, Julie Dodge and her husband Jim of Jackson, MI, Mary Karp and her husband David of Franklin, and Linda Pelrine and her husband James of Westwood.
Cherished Nana of Eddie, Jason, Steven, Jonathan, Joel, Sean, Melissa, Matthew, Delaney, Wyatt, Jeremy and his wife Aimee, Deana, and the late Danielle and Great Nana of Anna, Bea, and Max.
Sister of the late Lorraine Smith and the late James A. Carr.
Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Shirley's Life Celebration on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 from 4-8 PM in the James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, 48 Common Street, Walpole, MA. On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Saint Jude's Church, 86 Main Street, Norfolk, MA at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow in Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Ursula Matulonis Research, 10 Brookline Place, Brookline, MA 02445.