Shirley L. Bartlett

Shirley L. Bartlett of Weymouth, formerly of Dorchester, passed away peacefully at Alliance Health of Braintree on Saturday, June 27, 2020. She had just recently celebrated her 93rd birthday and had survived COVID-19. Shirley was the daughter of the late Arline and George Bartlett and was sister to the late Charles (Buddy), Lawrence, and Paul Bartlett, and half-sister to George (Jack).

Though her father passed away three months after Shirley was born, the family cottage that he built in the Myles Standish Forest was a favorite sanctuary of Shirley’s, who saw five generations of family swim on its shores. For nearly a century of time, it’s where Shirley could be found surrounded by her family, telling stories, making memories, and sharing in a chorus of laughter, with Shirley’s resonant and vibrant laugh lifting over all others.

Shirley worked at the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) for years, followed by the New England Genealogical Society, where she developed a love and pride for family history. She traced her family roots to the Mayflower and joined the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. In addition, Shirley belonged to the Weymouth Newcomers Club and Castle Island Association and participated in choral groups and line dancing. She sang at nursing homes and joined one such choral group at a celebration of her 90th birthday.

Shirley is survived by many friends and special cousins.​​She was an aunt, great-aunt, and great-grand-aunt to many nieces and nephews who loved her. Generous with her time, she taught her nieces and nephews to ski, skate, and swim. Shirley also loved to travel, visiting California, Aruba,​​and Europe, including an ancestral castle in Wales. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Shirley to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 175 Derby St., Ste 13, Hingham, MA 02043-4036. Visitation will be at McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, 809 Main Street, South Weymouth, Mass., on Thursday, July 2, 2020, from 1PM-3PM, followed by a celebration of her life at 3 PM. Burial will be private at a later date.