Shirley L. Gauntt, 84
Registered Nurse
Shirley Virginia Laning Gauntt, 84, of Gilbert, Arizona died at home on September 19th. She had been a hospice patient for the past 3 weeks.
Born in Cedarville, New Jersey, she was the beloved wife of Arthur E. Gauntt and the daughter of the late Frank Everett Laning and Bessie Graves Laning.
Shirley was predeceased by two brothers, Frank Everett “Bud” Laning, Jr. and John Milton “Milt” Laning, and two sisters, Bessie “Betty” Ayars Gaskill and Eleanor Taylor.
Shirley graduated from Bridgeton High School, Bridgeton, New Jersey in 1954. She studied nursing at the Delaware Hospital School of Nursing in Wilmington, Delaware and graduated as a registered nurse in 1957. She and Arthur were married at the Cedarville Baptist Church on September 14, 1957, and they recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.
Shirley started her nursing career as a geriatric mental health nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. She subsequently did medical-surgical nursing at Middlesex General Hospital and St. Peter’s General Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Huntington Beach Hospital in Huntington Beach, California where she spent the last 12 years of her career as a Nurse Epidemiologist.
Shirley retired in January 1999. After her retirement, she and Arthur moved to La Pine, Oregon where they built a home adjacent to the Deschutes National Forest. In 2003, they moved to Gilbert, Arizona to be near their grandchildren.
Shirley enjoyed reading, cooking, sewing, quilting and tole painting. She was an especially good cook of Chinese cuisine and won prizes for her sewing and quilting at the Orange County, California Fair.
In addition to her husband, Shirley is survived by her son, Douglas, his wife, Shawna, and her two grandchildren, Elizabeth (Mrs. Ryan Fast) and James – all of whom were her pride and joy.
Shirley is also survived by her sister, Alverna “Vernie” Wood, sister-in-law Joan (Milton), and several nieces and nephews.
Interment will be at the San Tan Memorial Gardens in Queen Creek, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Shirley’s name to a charity of your choice.