Shirley Sandler passed quietly before breakfast on Jan. 28, 2021, in Encinitas, California. She was born on Sept. 24, 1931, at 2545 Park, Kansas City, Missouri, to Harry Rube Sandler and Dora Gold Sandler, who were both Russian refugees.
Shirley graduated from Central High School on June 4, 1948. She married Robert H. Grinberg in 1950 and they had three children together: Michael Mark, Rhonda Cay and Gary Kent.
Shirley had a long and varied career serving as a retail clerk, doing ad sales for The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, and working as a real estate agent and caregiver up until age 87.
Shirley came from a big family with six siblings and 16 cousins within a 10-mile radius of Kansas City. She is survived by her sister, Lenora Jaben of Overland Park; her children, Rhonda and Gary; her grandchildren, Haley Anne Dideriksen, Russell Warren Shirley, Nicholas Austin Shirley and Alexandra Marie Grinberg.
She was preceded in death by her brother Nathan Sandler; sisters, Mildred Fishman, Edith Mallin and Jennet Studna; and son Michael Grinberg.
Shirley was very social and always active in the community; she was a member of Congregation Ohev Sholom, its sisterhood and a life member of Hadassah. She attended Shabbat services frequently at Ohev Sholom.
In previous years, she was a member of Congregation B’nai Jehudah, Congregation Beth Shalom and Kehilath Israel Synagogue. Shirley thrived in Kansas City with her friends and family. She was later married to Harry Feingold and John Johnson and had a long courtship with Joe Bold.
In her early 80s, she moved to Encinitas where her two children live. Here, she established a new life and community, even finding a place to live on her own on top of ensuring the man for whom she was caregiving was well-taken care of. In the age of computers, she relied only on her flip phone and Chevy HHR.
She was a remarkable woman. In her own words: “Shirley had an incredibly strong will, which helped her in conquering life’s challenges.”
