ELVIRA SHAW LASSEY

Elvira Ellen Shaw was born to Army Officer Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing Shaw on the 4th of September, 1921, in Phoenix, Arizona, the 7th of 9 children. She spent her childhood in Winkleman and Phoenix, Arizona, enjoyed family outings to the Grand Canyon, the volcanoes and forests of northern Arizona, the many areas of historical interest throughout the state, and maintained her love of the southwestern desert her entire life. When Elvira was 14 years old, her parents, recognizing her extraordinary voice, provided her with voice lessons, and she began studying for a career on the operatic concert stage. Throughout high school and junior college she became known for her versatility, defying categorization, and able to sing lyric, coloratura, and mezzo soprano rôles with equal skill. In the early 1940s she and her sisters Edith and Laura Grace had a radio program on local station KOY called “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” singing lieder, opera, and traditional songs. In 1943, Elvira married Russell Eldon Lassey, and chose to make her family her primary career, although she never stopped singing, and brought joy wherever she lived with her music, in her church and community. Elvira and Russell had 5 children and lived in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. While living on a cattle ranch in Idaho, she could frequently be heard rehearsing a Gounod aria for an upcoming performance while driving a tractor. After she and Russell retired they lived in the Prescott, AZ, area, moving to Salem, Oregon in 1993, at Capital Manor. She was involved her entire life in Church, choir, and citizenship, working many years as a registrar at elections. She lived always according to standards of grace and kindness, exemplifying goodness and decency and the steadfast love which she believed had been shown to her by her parents, family, and God. Elvira was predeceased by her husband Russell, her parents, and her older siblings and in-laws. She is survived by siblings Edith Shaw Allers and Clarence Shaw, and Sister-in-Law Betty Weeks; her five children and their families, son, John (Kathleen), children Karen, Brian (Ali), Peter and grandchildren Matthew (Molly), Sean (Alex), Bridget, Elizabeth, Ace, Rebecca, Samantha, and Carly; son, Stephen, his children Gabrial, Jennifer (Matthew), Katelyn, Jaclyn and grandchildren Addysen, Maddux, Damian, Dylan, Layla, and Harper; daughter Susan, children George (Courtney), Stephen (Rocíe), and grandchildren Michael and Adela; daughter Jeanne (John), children Melinda, Kristoffer (Angel), Josh, Adam (Ashlie), and grandchildren Ziba, Farah, Daniel, Tyler, Jonah, Tom, Jacob, Ian, Mira, Jake, Owen, Kaleb, Lillian, and Izabelle; daughter Marcia (George), child Russell (Misty) and grandchildren Elizabeth, Hannah, Meredith, Emma, and Madelyn, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Graveside Services will be held at Heritage Memorial Park, 12000 E. Heritage Memorial Ln, Dewey, AZ 86327, July 12, 2022, at 11:00 AM, the Rev’d Larry Anderson officiating. A Celebration of Life will be held at Capital Manor in Salem, OR at a later date. And her Father will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

ELVIRA SHAW LASSEY

September 4, 1921 - June 19, 2022