Shirley Ann Avery

Shirley Ann Avery of Olympia, Washington, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2026, at the age of 89. Shirley was born on January 10, 1937, to John and Hazel Marie (Underwood) McKinlay in Redondo, Washington. Shirley was the 7th of 7 children, preceded in death by her parents; John McKinlay, and Hazel Marie Halbert; and her siblings – Dorothy (Waite), John “Jack”, Wilson, Frances (Jones), Phyllis (Shaner), and James “Jim”. She was also preceded in death by her loving husband, Darhl, earlier this year in February.

Shirley married Darhl Avery on February 12, 1956. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary together. Along with Darhl, Shirley leaves behind her children – Darhl Avery Jr. “DJ” and Leslie Munson; daughter-in-law Lorri Avery; grandchildren Rachel, Paige, Nick and Shane; great-grandson Tyler and great-granddaughters Aalaya and Leilani. She also leaves behind many nephews, nieces and relatives, along with many friends.

Shirley grew up in Redondo, WA. During her childhood, Shirley and her brother Jim, lived in Kodiak, Alaska for a short time before being evacuated by ship back to Washington because of threats of attack during World War II. Shortly after returning to Washington, she moved to Long Lake in Lacey, WA. There, she grew up on the Long Lake Resort owned by her parents. She attended Lacey Elementary and Olympia High School graduating in 1955. After meeting Darhl and getting married, she was employed by the WA State Dept. of General Administration as a secretary. After taking time off to raise her family, she worked for the Agriculture/Forestry Foundation, then moved on to the Washington State Lottery as the Executive Assistant to the Director. She finished her career when retiring from the Lottery in the late 1990’s.

Shirley enjoyed bowling, golfing, traveling, shopping — especially at Nordstrom’s — and lunches out with her best friends. She had great style and was a very sharp dresser. She was a fantastic cook and many of her dishes are still talked about and live on in the family. While living at Laurel Oaks in Lacey, WA, she and Darhl loved “happy hours” with their friends and neighbors. After retirement, trips to the California desert to spend the winter golfing were a yearly tradition.

Shirley was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

The family will be holding a Celebration of Life for Shirley at 1 pm on Sunday, August 23rd at:
The Heritage Room - 604 Water Street SW, Olympia WA 98501