Obituary: Mcmahon Peterson, Shirley Rae (Maurer)
Age 82
She has a sister, Joan Zink, and a younger brother Richard, who passed away in 1963.
She had many cousins, since her mother was the youngest of nine children.
She had fond memories of the many family reunions held in Colville, where her parents were raised.
Being born during the depression, her father found work with the Civilian Conservation Corps as a lead vehicle mechanic in the Riggins and Elk City area of Idaho and Salmon River.
They were there about nine months of the year for several years.
Shirley had many stories about attending school in a one-room building, with kids of all ages.
However, she didn’t have to ride a horse to school like her mother Ruby did.
Shirley graduated from North Central High School in 1949.
She was a member of the Red Feathers, a marching/drill team lead by the long time friend of the family, Miss Elsa Pinkham—-affectionately known as Pinx.
During and after high school, Shirley worked at Kress and the phone company.
Shirley married Terence (Terry) McMahon in 1951.
They lived in Spokane and moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 1955.
They enjoyed summer visits to the McMahon family cabin at Priest Lake, which Terry’s father had built in 1919.
They built the present home at Hayden Lake in 1962, which is located on McMahon Road.
Shirley was a homemaker and raised four wonderful children: Shawn Terry McMahon, Sherry Claire Biggs, Kenneth Lee McMahon, and Keri Ann Reynolds.
Summers were spent swimming and fishing on Hayden Lake.
Shirley loved to garden and had beautiful flower beds, in addition to fruit trees, vegetables, and her outstanding raspberry patch.
In the winter, ice skating on Hayden Lake was a treat for everyone.
Sledding down the road to the lake was nearly a daily occurrence for the kids.
Her sister Joan lived nearby in Spokane and they shared many holiday events and child rearing times together.
Joan’s two boys, Jerry and Mike Zink, were frequent visitors at Hayden Lake.
Shirley was active for many years in Beta Sigma Phi, a social and cultural organization whose motto is, “Life, Learning and Friendship.”
She was also involved with the Christian women’s group, Aglow.
Shirley served on numerous local boards and committees, moving on to Aglow International.
She traveled to Israel with a girlfriend in 1985 to see the Holy Lands.
Shirley married William (Bill) Peterson in 1987.
Bill and Shirley traveled around the Pacific Northwest, sometimes trailering their boat, as Bill enjoyed fishing too!
They went to Sweden to see the Peterson’s ancestral home.
Bill passed away in January of 2008.
Shirley is survived by her son Shawn McMahon, wife Lani, and their daughter Zoe; daughter Sherry Biggs, husband Gary and their two children, Eric Biggs, and Whitney Gordon and her husband Kirk, and their three children, Kirkland, Genevieve, and Alaina; son Ken McMahon; daughter Keri Reynolds, and husband Shannon.
Keri’s three children are Erin Gillaspy, Justin Peterson, and Alisa Kniffin, husband Josh and their two daughters, Hayden and Kadence.
For the last few years, Shirley has been living in Texas, close to her daughter Sherry and her extended family.
A service was held June 30th in Rockwall, TX for friends and family.
An Idaho Memorial Service for Shirley is being held on July 9th at 3pm at the Hayden Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where she and her husband Bill were members.