Obituary of Shirley Anne Frucht

Shirley Anne Frucht, age 99, died peacefully on Sunday, April 14, at the Forest at Duke, in Durham, North Carolina, after a full, rich life of nurturing, teaching, and mentoring.

Born in Minneapolis to Irene (Schekman) and Abraham Einbinder, immigrants from Russia and Germany, respectively, Shirley was the oldest of four siblings. She showed academic aptitude and athletic prowess early on, especially in mathematics and swimming. She attended Butler University, graduating before joining the Navy, becoming an ensign in the WAVES in 1943 and editor of the Great Lakes Naval Base newspaper. While in military service, she met Padraic (Paddy) Pearse Frucht, who had enlisted in the Navy. Shirley and Paddy were married in 1944.

After WWII, she followed Paddy to Boston, where he earned a PhD in Economics at Harvard. There she gave birth and was primary care-giver to two children while earning an MS in Public Relations from Boston University. They then moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where he taught at Lawrence College and she focused on raising their children. In 1955 they moved their young family to Northern Virginia. For the rest of his career, Paddy held senior positions in federal agencies and subsequently led the economic development agency for the State of Maryland. During this time, as the children grew older, Shirley became a high school algebra teacher in Fairfax County, initially feared but ultimately loved by generations of students. In addition to academic mentoring, Shirley coached the girls’ varsity tennis team that dominated their conference.

Once retired in the early 1980s, Shirley and Paddy moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for a glorious eighteen years of art, music, foreign travel, swimming, tennis, and friendships, her passions. She competed in the regional and national Senior Olympics, winning many awards. They both provided many hours of community service to organizations supporting Native Americans and the arts. Their son, Andy, died in Santa Fe in 1987.

They moved to Chapel Hill, NC in 2000, and then to the Forest at Duke in 2001. After Paddy’s death in 2002, Shirley continued to enjoy living close to her youngest child, Deborah, and her oldest, Michele. Michele (and Mel) Levy and Deborah (and Emil) Malizia survive her, as do her five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

The family thanks the CNAs and nurses at The Forest at Duke for their loving care and many years of service.

Funeral Services were held at the Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery on Tuesday, April 16. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to: The Communication Department Enhancement Fund, NC State University, Campus Box 7016, Raleigh, NC 27695-7016.

Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is honored to care for the Frucht family.