Monday, January 20, 2025
Shirley Ruth Jacobson Freng slipped into eternity on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Shirley was born in Seattle on July 16, 1928. She and her younger brother, Bob, were born to Arne Jacobson (an immigrant from Sweden) and Marianne Johannesen Jacobson (an immigrant from Norway).
Shirley grew up in Madison Park until her family moved to the waterfront on Portage Bay in the 1940s. She graduated from Broadway High School. After high school, she worked as a bank teller in Seattle. In 1950, she met James Freng, and they married in 1951 at Central Lutheran Church. They moved to Moxee, Washington, where Jim was a band teacher and Shirley a homemaker.
In 1953, they moved back to western Washington and purchased a home in Edmonds. She loved her home, her neighborhood and her town, and happily lived there for 69 years. Once her children were grown, Shirley began to work outside the home at the Bed and Bath shop at Aurora Village and at Stewart’s Westgate Pharmacy and Coast to Coast Hardware in Westgate.
Shirley thrived at Stewart’s. As a cashier, she kept up with local friends and neighbors who often shopped at the store. She also demonstrated her skills of purchasing and displaying inventory.
Shirley and Jim were active members of Christ Lutheran Church (now Edmonds Lutheran) since 1955. She served as the wedding coordinator for many years. She later participated in Annie’s Kitchen, serving meals to the homeless. She loved the Lord and found joy serving Him. She was an avid Husky fan, and attended Husky football games for many years with Jim.
In her later years, she took great joy in decorating her home and caring for her garden, spending hours pulling every last weed. Everything Shirley did, she did with excellence and organization.
Shirley’s greatest joy was her family. Growing up, she spent a great deal of time with her many, many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents at the original family home in Richmond Beach. She spoke often of fond memories of Sunday afternoons together.
Her greatest joy was her three children and their spouses, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She is survived by her son Steve Freng (Emi); her daughter Sandy Klein (Greg). and her son Tom Freng. She adored her grandchildren Kris Freng (Katrina), Tyler Klein (Corinne), Ryan Klein (Jessica), Teresa Mizuki; and her two great-grands, Holden and Eliana.
Shirley will be deeply missed. We thank her wonderful caregivers, Melanie and Candace, for the years of support provided once Alzheimer’s required additional support at home. The family held a private graveside service to remember and honor a wonderful mom, grandma, great-grandma, neighbor, and friend.
