Shirley Glidewell

Shirley Mae (Brummett) Glidewell, 73, of Yakima died on November 21, 2014 at the Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center. She was born on July 5, 1941 to Agnes “Aggie” (Agnew) and James H. Brummett in Yakima, WA. She attended Armstrong elementary school, then after moving to East Viola in 1949, she attended Jefferson, Washington Jr. High and graduated from Yakima (now Davis) High School in 1959. In the 1960s she married Dale Jones and then Burl Glidewell, divorcing in the late 1970s. She did whatever it took to raise her family, working in several odd jobs, picking and/or processing fruit at various orchards and processing plants as well as selling cigarettes at the Little Brown Smoke Shack. She worked several years as a cashier at Linse’s Market in Selah and then in the mid 1970s she landed a job at Boise Cascade Lumber Mill in Yakima where she worked for 27 years. She was one of the first female employees at Boise and one of the first female lumber graders in the state of Washington. She enjoyed roses, picking wild berries and hunting for mushrooms on the reservation as well as going junking for precious treasures. She was fascinated with jewelry, displaying proudly even at work her silver and turquoise rings. She had an incredible memory and shared her wealth of information with anyone willing to listen. She was an avid reader, horticulturalist and gambler. She studied obsessively the horses, genealogy, numerology, and astrology. Oh, she could tell a good story, including how she survived the eruption of Mount St. Helens. She loved keeping connected to her children, especially all of her grandchildren and when possible sharing with them special gifts. She was a registered Yakama Indian and a descendant of Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe in western Washington as well as Captain Charles Eaton, leader of the Eaton Rangers. She was a member of the Daughter's of the Pioneers and the Local Carpenter’s Union #2739. She is survived by sons James D. Brummett of Cochise, AZ and Rev. Jeffrey R. (Heather) Jones of Aurora, MN, step-daughter LeeAnn (Glidewell) Covely of Yakima, WA, step-son David (Debbie) Glidewell of Enumclaw, WA; brother William Brummett of Yakima, WA and sister Mary (Greg) Burke of Pasco, WA; grandchildren: Kaila (Jose) Martinez of Ferndale, WA, Jaci Brummett (John Hames) of Yakima, Esther and Joshua Jones of Minnesota, Tasha Glidewell of Vancouver, WA, Tyson and Tyland Glidewell of Yakima; great grandsons: Atreyu Asman and new born Jose Martinez Jr, one great granddaughter, Joslin, expected in December; numerous nieces, nephews and step-grandchildren, friends and acquaintances as well as fellow grandma for the boys, good friend and caregiver, Carol Schorr. She was preceded in death by her father in 2001, her mother in 2003, her sister Bonnie Brummett Kautzman in 2002, sister-in-law Leoni Brummett in 2011, and her youngest son, Johnnie D. Glidewell in 2010. Peace be to her memory. Visitation will be from 12:00 to 2 pm on December 6, followed at 2 pm by a celebration of life at the Selah Covenant Church. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to the “Make A Wish” Foundation or a charity of the donor’s own choosing. Valley Hills Funeral Home is caring for the family. Online condolences may be left at www.valleyhillsfh.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Shirley Glidewell, please visit our flower store.