Shirley Ann Haag
May 14, 1930 - September 13, 2018
Resident of Orinda
Shirley Ann Haag was a classical musician and teacher who lived her 88 years with great zeal, empathy and character. Raised in Wisconsin by her parents Ella and Alfred Werth, Shirley's childhood passions included playing piano, singing, athletics, and wild card games with her older sisters June and Lorrie. Shirley began college at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and later earned a B.A. in Music from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters in Education from the California State University, East Bay. During her 60+ year career as a grade school and music teacher, Shirley was renowned for her dedication to the success and enrichment of children. Whether at Vista Grande Elementary in Danville, the San Francisco Boys Chorus summer camp in Quincy, the Mosswood Community Center in downtown Oakland, or the grand piano in her living room, Shirley inspired her students. Her special classroom projects ranged from a 12-machine typing station to semi-annual musical and historical plays to a giant Seal of California mosaic. When Shirley's class went to Sacramento to sing, Governor Ronald Reagan ordered the mosaic displayed in the Capitol Building for several years. During semi-retirement, Shirley's focus shifted to meticulously tending "Shirley's Garden", battling cancer through wellness and renewed faith, and generously helping others. Shirley was an eccentric individualist who was honest to a fault, always wanted to do the right thing, and loved nature – even if that meant letting honey bees build hives in her ceilings. Shirley led an active life, which included ice skating, tennis, skiing, mountain back packing, seashore hiking – and she could swat a fast pitched baseball from the left side of the plate well into her 80s. Above all, Shirley loved and supported her surviving family, including: eldest son John (Malibu attorney and engineer), daughter-in-law Kathy, granddaughters Lauren and Hayley; son Randy (investment banker and golf champion); grandchildren Alexandra, Nicholas, Brooke and Michaela, and great grandson Ciam. Shirley's final days were spent in her home of 60 years in Orinda overlooking her garden. On September 27, Shirley was laid to rest at the Lafayette Cemetery next to her daughter Judy, who tragically died over a half century earlier.

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