Shirlee was born July 3, 1940, three minutes behind her twin sister, Sharen. She came into this world to meet her mom, Leila and dad, Turrell Pixton; big brother, Ferris Turrell Pixton; and sister, Joan Pixton.
Her mother did not know that she was having twins, so she only had enough clothes for one. Thank goodness for the folks in the small community of Kimble, Idaho, who got together and made some clothes so she would not have to go naked.
Her mom put both little ones in one crib. Sharen at one end and Shirlee at the other end. When they got old enough to move around her mother said that Shirlee would drink her bottle and then crawl down to Sharen and take her bottle away from her. When Sharen started to cry her mom would know what was going on.
Shirlee remembered that while growing up her twin sister and herself did everything together- went everywhere together, dressed alike, and protected each other. They did argue on occasion and Sharen, who has always been a clean freak, would make only her half of the bed, and chew Shirlee out if her side was not neat like Sharen’s. The way Shirlee got back at her was to mess up her perfect color coordinated alphabetized dresser drawers, sometimes she even dumped them on the floor and then ran like heck.
When they were three years old, their parents bought a house in Firth, Idaho. She remembered that house because it had swinging doors from the kitchen, into her parents’ bedroom, on to the living room, then back into the kitchen. The overly energetic twins would run around the house and through the swinging doors for hours. Her dad finally got rid of the doors, but not before she choked on some peanuts with one lodging into her lungs. This was on Christmas Eve and of course Sharen was chasing her around and around.
Their antics landed Shirlee in the hospital. By the next morning the peanut was out and after some time in recovery her mom took her home. Her aunt had brought her a big shiny apple to eat when she got home but by that time Sharen had eaten it. The first day of school, Sharen slid down a slippery slide before school even started and landed in a mud puddle. She looked like a mud ball. The principal knew enough about the twins to call their mother who took them both home, bathed Sharen, donned them both with clean clothes, tied their hair up in a bandana (so they would be alike), and drove them back to school.
Her brother Ferris went into the Navy when she was really young so she didn't have a lot of memories about him until he came home.
Joan who was three years older than Shirlee and Sharen was the greatest sister ever. She always wanted to sleep with her young sisters even when she became a teenager. At bedtime she would often get cold and crawl in between them to get warm. She would read them stories from a storybook Grandma Pixton gave her for her birthday. They loved to hear them over and over.
Shirlee graduated from Firth High School in her hometown of Firth, Idaho. She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints fulfilling many callings, her most satisfying as a steadfast visiting teacher with Vicki Janetski and her calling as Relief Society President in the 4th Ward.
She married her high school sweetheart, Odell Jacobsen August 29, 1958, in the Idaho Falls, Idaho temple. Theirs was a marriage filled with love and devotion to each other for over 67 years. As in her childhood she was dressed like her twin sister, with matching wedding dresses. Their wedding was a double wedding with Sharen and Neil Crofts. A reception and dance was held in the Basalt Ward. Those who attended brought two of the same gifts, one for each couple.
Shirlee and Odell were blessed with 4 beautiful children, Terry, Leniece, Georgia, and Stacy. Shirlee loved being their mother and always knew that God’s calling as such was her greatest calling.
She was an industrious person with high work ethics. After her high school days, she worked for Bell Telephone as a switchboard operator. Since that early start she held several related jobs with her most recent being admissions supervisor at the old Columbus Hospital and the new Benefis Hospital. Of all the jobs she had, she always placed her home job as housewife and mother the greatest of all, but not necessarily the easiest.
Shirlee’s life has not always been a bowl of cherries. Since the peanut incident she has had 4 C Sections, a Hysterectomy, a bi-lateral appendectomy, two cataract eye surgeries, a stroke on valentine’s day in 1999 that left her speechless, a pacemaker implant in 2008, a cardio version in 2009, left carotid artery surgery, a heart catheter, a heart catheter with 2 stents in 2016, a pacemaker replacement in 2017, a trans aorta heart valve replacement Jan. 3, 2023 and more recently, an overnight stay at St. James Hospital in Butte for passing out and breaking her ankle, 2 weeks in the cardiovascular unit at Benefis Hospital, then 18 days at Grandview rehab center and lastly, 125 days under Hospice Home care. The number of doctor visits cannot be counted. The family tells you of these many health issues that she endured, not to seek your sympathy, but to let you know how strong-minded she was. Her character, faith, and love were equally strong.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Turrell and Leila; brother, Ferris; sister, Sharen; brother-in-law, Bill Mecham; son-in-law, Steve Thrush; daughters, Leniece and Georgia.
Sadly, she passed away from natural causes December 5, 2025. She is survived by her loving husband, Odell; son, Terry (Jean); daughters, Stacy Thrush and Mary Jacobsen; sister, Joan Pixton; grandson, Craig (Maritza); and granddaughters, Samantha, Katy, and Allison.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the Great Falls Stake Center, Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. A private family burial will occur later at the Firth Cemetery in Firth, ID.
The family would like to thank the staff at Grandview and Benefis Hospice nurse Kim for their kind care and consideration for Shirlee in her last days.
To share condolences, click here to visit the O'Connor Funeral Home website.
