Shirley Riess

Middletown, RI - Shirley F. Riess, 70, of Middletown, Rhode Island, died at home on Wednesday, July 11th after a valiant 29 month battle with pancreatic cancer, surrounded by family and friends. A lifelong Aquidneck Islander, Shirley was born in Newport to Margaret Frederick and William Christmas Freeborne. She is survived by her daughter Alyson F. Novick, son-in-law Robert R. Novick, step grandson Alexander R. Novick, step granddaughter Holly M. Novick, honorary granddaughters Margaret Mary Coen and Eleanor Frances Coen, her granddog Zoe and by countless friends. Shirley was a faithful communicant of St. Mary?s church where she served as a lector for many years and volunteered annually for Christmas and Easter decorations. In her long and varied career, Shirley held administrative positions at the Newport Navy Exchange, the Middletown Tax Assessor?s Office, and at Edgehill. From 1982 until her retirement in 2003 she held management positions in the product development, sales and curatorial departments of the Preservation Society of Newport County, running the Sales Department and the museum?s stores for 8 years. While at the PSNC, Shirley led the teams in Christmas holiday decorations for four of the Newport Mansions. Shirley also edited two Society publications: Newport Cooks and Collects and Cornelius Vandermouse.Volunteerism was very important to Shirley. She served on the board of the Edward King Center and was a member of the Seaside Garden Club and the Mosaic Club, where she served a term as president and led many committees. Shirley coordinated the reunions for the Rogers High School Class of 1955. She gave her time each year to the Christmas in Newport House Tours. Shirley read to elementary school children at Sheffield and Underwood Schools. In the summers, she was a volunteer gardener at Chateau sur Mer. She was a member of the Friends of Ballard Park and the Aquidneck Land Trust. Most recently, Shirley, and her team ?Shirl?s Pearls?, completed the 2006 Aquidneck Island Cancer Relay for Life, raising more than $8, 000 for cancer research. Though too ill to lead a team in this year?s Relay, she was honored to light the Torch of Hope and walk in the Survivors? Lap during the opening ceremonies.Shirley was a fiercely independent woman with boundless energy and myriad interests. She loved gardening, cutting her own lawn and feeding her beloved wild birds. Shirley played in a volleyball league in her fifties and learned to ski in her sixties. She loved to walk and kept up an enviable pace. She crewed aboard the J-24 Insatiable in the Newport Yacht Club?s Wednesday Evening Series. She was a fabulous dancer who cut a rug like no other. An avid traveler, Shirley toured many countries with her group of traveling pals, The Newport Travelers. She loved the beach and Narragansett Bay. She delighted in hosting and attending ?Cousins? Nights? with her Sullivan cousins. She was the consummate bargain shopper. A wonderful cook and hostess, she was known by all for her incredible holiday tables and elegant parties. She greatly enjoyed attending many of her city and state?s cultural events from the Newport Music Festival, to outdoor plays and concerts, to WaterFire, to events at the Performing Arts Center.Her life will be celebrated on Monday, July 16, 2007, at 8:00am at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary?s Church, Spring St. at Memorial Boulevard, Newport on at 9:00am.Calling hours are from 4:00 to 8:00 at Memorial Funeral Home on Sunday, July 15, 2007. Respectfully, burial will be private.In lieu of flowers, donations in Shirley?s memory may be made to the Hospice Program of Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties, 1184 East Main Rd., Portsmouth RI 02871 www.vnsri.com; to The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 1111 Stewart Ave., Bethpage NY 11714 www.lustgarten.org; or to the Building and Improvements Fund of St. Mary?s Church, 12 William St., Newport RI 02840.