Shirley Eileen Kubaska, age 98, of Ocean City, passed away at The Shores United Methodist Communities on Wednesday, March 13.
Born in London England on February 22, 1926, she lived in Southwest London (Kentish Town), Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington DC, Japan, Rosemont, PA, Dover, DE, and Egg Harbor Township, NJ. She graduated from Camden School for Girls and Secretarial College in London, and worked for The Daily Express and as Lord Beaverbrook’s personal secretary, preparing speeches for Parliament while in London. Then she worked at AAA in Washington DC, at Brown University, and as an Air Force secretary before moving to New Jersey where she was employed by Shulton’s in Mays Landing and Prudential in Linwood, retiring in 1990.
She lived through World War II and the bombing of London in her teenage years before moving to the USA with her husband in 1945 to raise four sons. Shirley was musically and athletically gifted, an exceptional singer and pianist, and qualified for the Olympic Diving Team for England. She was a good friend, especially to Maxine and Laverne (Laverne & Shirley!), and she loved to travel, visiting the world with her family, her girlfriends from Prudential, and her soul-mate Dick Boccelli.
Survivors include her sons Peter, Michael (Denise), Paul (Barbara), and Thomas (Martha), her grandchildren Paul, Danielle, Stacey, Christopher, Gordon, Aaron, and Alicia, and eleven great grandchildren.
Shirley was preceded in death by her husband Walter “Ted” Kubaska in 1981, and the second love of her life and longtime companion, Richard Boccelli in 2019.
A private funeral service was conducted Saturday for the family. A Celebration of Life will be held this summer on a date to be announced. Memorial contributions may be given to The Alzheimer’s Association and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Arrangements by the George H Wimberg Funeral Home, Linwood – Ventnor. Condolences may be extended to the family at ghwimberg.com
