Shirley Weindling was born January 4, 1928 in Pueblo, Colorado to Yocheved and Samuel Dobin.  She passed December 4, 2022 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  She was a first generation American, with parents and older sisters who immigrated to the United States from Russia after World War I and the Russian Revolution.  A number of Russian immigrants found their way to Pueblo because the steel mill in town employed people and also created small business opportunities.  Shirley's father and uncle ran the local tavern in Pueblo in the 30s called Dobin Brothers.  Shirley liked to tell stories about the characters who frequented her father's tavern.  One of the most notable was the infamous bank robber, John Dillinger.

Shirley was the baby of the family and had a happy childhood in Pueblo.  She and her older sisters were all very different, but they were the best of friends and remained fiercely devoted to one another throughout their lives.

In her late teens, Shirley was smart, pretty, stylish and fun and according to her late husband Ben "never suffered from a lack of boyfriends." After he came home from the war, he finally convinced Shirley that she should date him. They fell hard for each other, married, and had a wonderful and loving partnership for nearly 70 years before Ben died in 2014.

Shirley worked by Ben's side for many years to build a successful and beloved men's clothing store, called Burling's. Shirley worked on the floor of the store, serving customers, while Ben worked in the back of the store on the business side of things.  It was a winning combination. Their business grew and thrived, with multiple stores, and it ultimately became a family operation with Ben and Shirley's children working in the store from their youth through their college years.

For a small town girl, Shirley was incredibly elegant, sophisticated, intelligent and worldly.  She was an avid reader of everything from thrillers to books about politics, history, religion and current events.  She was interested in all kinds of topics and she was a knowledgeable and engaging conversationalist.  She loved chatting with friends and she wasn't shy about sharing sometimes strong, but always well-informed points of view.  Shirley also loved learning about other countries and she and Ben traveled all over the world. She enjoyed getting acquainted with the locals, sampling their food and culture and exploring shopping opportunities wherever their travels took them.

Shirley enjoyed entertaining friends and colleagues and she was a wonderful host.  Her dinner table always featured delicious and generous quantities of food, along with equally generous portions of laughter and lively conversation.  It was well-known that she required all her guests to overeat and she was referred to as the family food pusher.

Shirley loved beautiful things.  She loved pretty clothes, art, and she had a talent for interior design and decorating. She loved flowers and she was a skilled gardener.  She could coax a languishing orchid into producing magnificent blooms and her summer flower beds were beautiful and well-tended.

For all of her personal interests, Shirley's greatest passion was her family.  She was always at the center of the family, where she created a loving, safe and stable place for all. She was extraordinarily dedicated to her husband, children and grandchildren.  She listened intently, offered excellent advice and supported and cheered her loved ones on through all the things they wanted to pursue.  She was immensely proud of everyone in her family and believed they could each achieve anything they set out to do.  Shirley also adored all the family dogs.  She was the ultimate dog whisperer.  Every dog in the family rushed to her side, or her lap, knowing she would be handing them treats and rubbing their tummies.

Shirley was also a loyal and trusted friend. She had great empathy for those who were less fortunate or struggling and she was an active donor and volunteer.  She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Shirley leaves behind her beloved children Mark and Susan and grandchildren, Jacob and Michele (Nick).

A private service will be held at Fort Logan in Colorado, where Shirley will be laid to rest with her husband Ben.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in her memory.