Shirley Muriel Budd Pusey, 90, formerly of Scottsdale, Arizona, passed peacefully through the veil at her daughter’s home in Syracuse, Utah on Monday, December 24, 2018. Shirley was born July 15, 1928, the daughter of Arthur Melville and Lenna Howell Porter Budd. She grew up in Salt Lake City, graduating from South High School in 1945.
She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Utah in 1949 and a graduate certificate in 1950. After starting her career, Shirley met her beloved Eugene H. “Gene” Pusey. They were married in Salt Lake City on April 20, 1956, and spent just over 60 years together.
Shirley was a wonderful homemaker, wife, mother and “Grams”. She also enjoyed a long career in social work, beginning at the Salt Lake County hospital working with families of terminally-ill children. After moving to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1966, Shirley worked for Family Service Agency where she counseled unwed mothers and placed over 700 newborns for adoption during her time there.
What an important role she played in the lives of so many families. She also wrote and had published two books about adoption. After her retirement, she became a confidential intermediary, facilitating birth-family reunions.
She volunteered into her 90th year as a social worker for the City of Scottsdale at Vista del Camino, where she was nominated for the Volunteer Impact Award in 2015. Shirley was a thoughtful card-sender. Cards were sent to family and friends for every birthday and special occasion.
Thank-you notes were sent without fail. Among her other talents were knitting and sewing. Four generations of her family and many others have Christmas stockings that she lovingly knit.
Many handmade sweaters were given over the years as well. She sewed all of her own clothes and could honestly say that she could go to church for a year without wearing the same thing twice. Every Thanksgiving she made candy which was sent to family and friends.
Her caramel corn was the best. She and Gene traveled to many places around the world, enjoyed many years of involvement with the Scottsdale Community Theater and were part of a wonderful group of friends who met monthly for charades. She was dearly loved and will be deeply missed.
Preceding Shirley in death are her husband, Gene in 2016; her parents; a sister, Laurie Lloyd and brothers Art and Reece. Surviving her are her sister Beverly Todd, Bountiful; daughters Shawna (Vaun) Andrus and Paula (Warren) Lloyd; grandchildren, Johnathan (Tiffani) Lloyd, Jessica (Spencer) Hale, Erin (Brandon) Hadfield, Parker (Nichole) Andrus and Greg Lloyd, as well as 12 great-grandchildren with two more due in 2019. Special thanks to Jack McNeal for his friendship and loving care, the staff at Hospice for Utah, and many other thoughtful friends and family members who have given their love.
Shirley selflessly chose to donate her body to the University of Arizona for medical research. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 28, 2018 at the Val Verda 4th Ward, 2633 South 50 West, Bountiful, Utah and at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at the LDS Church, 6265 N. 82nd Street, Scottsdale, Arizona. A visitation prior to the service will be held at each location from 9:45 until 10:45 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Vista del Camino, www.
scottsdalecommunitypartners.org. Condolences and/or memories may be sent to ehpusey@gmail.com or online at www. lindquistmortuary.com/listings.
Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road, Layton, Utah.
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