Shirley Roannie Defibaugh Mouser, age 78, passed away of a broken heart, February 15, 2020, at Hospice House following the death of her beloved husband, Dr. Tom Mouser, on January 29, 2020.
Born April 13, 1941, in Marlinton, she was the fifth of seven children of the late Wilson W. and Mary Jane Defibaugh.
Shirley grew up, poor, but happy in the family home on the banks of the Greenbrier River. She learned self-sufficiency in the ways of the mountain people of West Virginia. Everything was canned or cellar stored as gardens were grown and livestock rendered, while her father toiled in the local tannery and her mother cooked on a wood stove. Shirley played in the band and worked at the Tastee Freeze, graduating from Marlinton High School in 1959.
Shirley married Lowell T. Mouser on September 10, 1959. The couple recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
She was a skilled typist and recordkeeper and performed secretarial jobs during the early years of marriage as Tom studied medicine. The family lived in Morgantown, Charleston and Spokane, Washington, during the 1960s before settling in Spokane in 1973.
While Tom worked as a cardiologist at the Rockwood Clinic, Shirley was busy raising the family as well as with community projects such as Connoisseur Concerts, Scouting and her Lunch Babe’s Club. She also bowled weekly in various bowling leagues over the years – always her favorite hobby. She later went back to school earning an associate degree as a Legal Assistant from Spokane Community College in 1982.
Shirley and Tom moved to Otis Orchards following Tom’s retirement in 2000. Family activities including camping with the grandchildren and fun trips to Northern Quest Casino kept them busy during the retirement years.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Lemuel and William.
She is survived by her children, Bill Mouser, (Liz), and Winston Mouser, (Theresa), all of Spokane, Washington, and Jessica Mouser, of Newport, Washington; grandchildren Ana, Jake, Nicholas and Joe; and great-grandchildren Jack and Kasia; a brother, Donald Defibaugh; and sisters, Wanda Thomas, Nancy Homan and Bonnie Underwood, all of Ohio. Many valued nieces and nephews also survive.
A celebration of life for Tom and Shirley will be held at a future date yet to be determined.
