Shirley Palmer Haase passed away on Jan. 23, 2021, at Jamie’s Place in Winthrop.
Shirley was born March 30, 1928, in Tacoma to Bill and Reva Palmer. They moved to Winthrop in 1944 when she was 16. She attended Winthrop High School until she married Sandy Haase on Oct. 18, 1946. Their oldest son John was born March 7, 1948. In April that year, they lost their first home in the 1948 flood, it was just south of what is now the site of the R&B Ranch. In the fall of 1949, they purchased a ranch on the Rendezvous and lived there until 1967. Being a girl from the city, she had to learn how to be a rancher’s wife.
On Feb. 22, 1950, their daughter Sandra was born. And on Aug. 26, 1953, their second son Doug was born. In her life she wore many hats – she was a farmer’s wife, worked the potato harvest, worked at both hardware and grocery stores, was a waitress, and worked for the U.S. Forest Service. She also owned a little Western wear store called The Corral. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary (70-year member), member of the Snohomish Tribe of Indians, Shafer Museum board, Grange, Okanogan Historical Society, one of the original women to ramrod the rebuilding of the Winthrop Auditorium (better known as the Red Barn) and a member of the Whiskey Wednesday group. She loved her family and extended family dearly and cherished her time in the mountains with Sandy and their kids, and though ranching was a hard life she loved it also.
Shirley is survived by a son Doug (Dee); daughter Sandra (Rick) of Winthrop; grandsons Paul Haase (Loretta) Minot, North Dakota, Jason Stolk (Deb) Portland, Oregon, Justin Haase (Rebecca) Winthrop; great-grandchildren Billy Haase, Minot, North Dakota, Tristin Haase, Kennewick, Kaydin Haase, Winthrop; many nieces and nephews and extended family and friends.
Shirley was proceeded in death by her parents, Bill and Reva Palmer, her husband of 51 years Sandy, her oldest son John, her sister Florence, her brother Bill and her lifelong best friend Betty.
Please make any donations to Jamie’s Place, P.O. Box 1260, Winthrop, WA 98862, in memory of Shirley Haase.
There will be a memorial in the spring or when we can send her off in style.
