Shirley Mae Jewell

Life bio SHIRLEY MAE KALINOWSKI JEWELL (27 July 1933-8 July 2025)

Born in Norwich, a small town in Connecticut. Shirley and her sister Phyllis (the family call her Bo) grew up in a town mainly made up of first and second generation immigrants, the Polish families on one side of town, the French on the other. Their mother, Mary, came from the French side, and their father Tom, on the Polish side. It wasn’t usual for couples to get together across the divide, but Mary and Tom did.

The sisters spent their early years near their Polish and French relatives (both Catholics) who spoke their native languages and taught the girls the value and complications of big extended families.

The Kalinowski family (Tom, Mary, Shirley and Phyllis) moved west during the war, using gas ration stamps to make the cross-country journey. They came west in search of better opportunities for the family.

They settled in Riverside where Shirley and Phyllis attended St Francis high school. Shirley left at an early age when she married and had her first son, Tom, at 18. Then followed Chrissy, Debbie, Dana, Mark and Phyllis (named after her aunt).

Shirley was married four times, the last and longest to Bill Jewell, who married her in 1967 when she already had 6 children. He adored her, was committed to helping to raise her children and they were together until his early death in 1988. Dana recently found letters Bill wrote to her while serving in Vietnam and the letters attest to a loving connection that was truly inspiring.

Shirley was known to all as a hard worker. She worked at any job she could get: a box factory, restaurant work, office work. She was good with numbers and became a book-keeper, and she worked at that until her retirement. A person of great energy, Shirley didn’t relax well in retirement, so she went to work as a greeter at Walmart.

Through her marriages and raising her children she remained close to her parents, known to the family as Memé and Grumpy. And they were at the center of a large family. From her 6 children Shirley became grandmother to 18, great-grandmother to 22 and Great Great Grandmother to 15.

Shirley didn’t have many hobbies. Her interests were mainly her family but she also loved shopping. She loved to read and she loved the mall. Shirley always looked her best and made sure her children were presentable even when there was little money to do so. Even when some of them made a fuss about having to be clean and put on nice clothes!

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to England Family Mortuary, Inc.