Shirley Price Callister, our mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Jan. 18, 2015. Shirley was born at home on July 2, 1922 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the youngest of five children of Julia Blanche Lauritzen and Thomas Lawrence Price. As a child, Shirley enjoyed dancing, spending time with her friends and trips to the family's ranch in southern Utah. She graduated from East High School in 1939 and then attended the University of Utah. As a young woman, she especially enjoyed her job as a roller-skating Western Union telegram courier. In 1942 Shirley married the love of her life, Cyril Taft Callister MD, and they remained inseparable for 61 years until Cy's death in 2003.
Shirley enjoyed gardening, bridge, cooking, needlepoint, and traveling but her family was the focus of her life. Her home of over 65 years in Lafayette was her castle and she was the anchor and practical voice in a house full of lively personalities. Her wit, humor, wisdom and love for life were contagious. From her famous 4th of July parties to many family events, she was the consummate hostess. Everyone was welcome. Even at 90 years old, "Mima's House" was always "home" for her extended family which over the years grew to include a multitude of her grandchildren's college classmates who all loved her dearly.
She is survived by her five children: Susan Price Callister, Barry Price Callister (Cecilia), Ann Callister (Bruce Brennen), Cyril Bruce Callister (Deborah Cox), and Thomas Brian Callister, MD (Rose Lorea) and eight grandchildren: Devin Taft Callister, MD, Mathew Riordan Callister, Andrew Price Callister, Coreen Denise Callister, Louis James Callister, Liam Joseph Callister, Erin Susann Callister and Connor Taft Callister as well as many beloved nieces and nephews and extended family. A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 at 10 a.m. at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549. In lieu of flowers donations are welcome for Hospice of East Bay, 3470 Buskirk Ave., Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA