Shirley Louise Greenlaw (tanguay) Obituary

Shirley Louise Greenlaw (tanguay) attended South Portland High School in South Portland, ME. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Shirley Louise Greenlaw (tanguay).

Graduation Year	Class of 1966
Date of Passing	Jun 25, 2015
About	A very warm goodbye to all my friends and classmates of the class of 1966, as well as friends from other years. I had to say goodbye forever this morning to my soul mate, best friend, and husband of nearly 49 years; the family that I have always held so dear to my heart; my precious little dogs; and the many wonderful friends that have made my life on this earth so very precious. I do not know what plans that God has in store for me, nor why he chose to end my life so soon. I will miss each and everyone of you and wish to thank you all for all that you have contributed to my life. Please heal any wounds you may have with family members and friends. Life is to precious and to short not to live it to the fullest. I will do my best to watch over each and every one of you and know that my love extends to all of you. I am with my family, friends, and pets in Heaven, now. I have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Goodbye. *************************************************** Born: November 17, 1946 Place of Birth: Portland, Maine Death: June 25, 2015 Place of Death: Portland, Maine Biography This morning, June 25, 2015, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, other family including her beloved little dogs, Sandy & Gracie, my dear, sweet, wonderful best friend slept slowly out of our living lives as I held her tightly in my arms and told her again and again of my immense love, pride, and respect for her, and that she was free to leave this earth and join the many hundreds of family, friends, pets, and acquaintances waiting for her on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Shirley Greenlaw Tanguay was an extremely unique woman. She was a wife, best friend, lover, and mother to our children Keith Tanguay and Karen Beaulieu, and grandmother (Mimi / Jimmy) to our 5 grandchildren and 7 "blended" grandchildren that we have been blessed with. She was a sister to Richard Greenlaw and sister-in-law to his wife Karen Bolduc Greenlaw, a sister-in-law to my sisters, brother, and spouses; an aunt to so very many wonderful children, a co-worker to many, and a friend to so many, many, more. She was a devoted daughter to her Mom & Dad, Myrtle and Harold Greenlaw, and a caring daughter-in-law to my Mom, Della Tanguay. She knew my Dad, George, only briefly before we were married, but he thought dearly of her. Shirley always put others first, and would do everything in her power to avoid knowingly hurting anyone in any way. However, although she has been called saintly by many, Shirley was not a saint. There were times when she offended others and regretted having done so ever after. A lot of people remember her as a cross between Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Mother Theresa! She was the butt of many stories of her mis-adventures (Mimi-isms as coined by her grandkids), but always in a loving and lasting manner. Shirl became a worker in many fields, starting as a motel room maid and later front desk clerk, a school crossing guide for many years, a quality control inspector at the original Fairchild Semi-conductor, an assembler at the Standard Romper Co., an office worker at Turner-Barker Insurance, a blueberry packer, a fish plant worker, (the last two were very short lived jobs!), 18+ years at Union Mutual (later UNUM) Insurance as a group policy billing specialist, several years as an office assistant for Dr. Daniel Merson, and finally a sales associate at J. C. Penney at the Maine Mall. Despite all of this, she found the time to be a most devoted mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. . Sleep tight, my Darling Angel, and we will be together again someday as I too cross over the Rainbow Bridge. I love you so very deeply. Tom