Irma Louise Shapiro Hendricks, 92, died in Green Valley, Arizona, on November 17, 2024. She had one son, Ron Hendricks, and a daughter-in-law, Sheree Josephson, of Kaysville, Utah, and two grandchildren, Benjamin J. Hendricks of Washington, D.C., and Hannah J. Hendricks of Salt Lake City, Utah. She also had two great-grandchildren.
Irma, the daughter of Benjamin B. Shapiro and Bertha Meriam Hantover Shapiro, was born on April 1, 1932, in Wilmette, Illinois. She was the youngest of four children: Eleanor Doris Levy, Richard Irving Shapiro, and Arthur Lee Shapiro.
Irma spent her childhood in the Wilmette, Evanston, area before moving to Boulder, Colorado, to attend the University of Colorado in 1950. While building a successful career as a public accountant for many of Boulder's premier restaurants and other businesses, she volunteered as a sheriff reserve officer for Boulder County and instructor for the American Red Cross. In 2006, Irma moved to Green Valley, where she volunteered for many organizations, including Pima County Sheriff's Auxiliary, Green Valley Food Bank, Mobile Meals of Tucson, and the Community Performing Arts Center of Green Valley.
Irma was married to John Driscoll James on March 21, 1952. He was killed in an automobile accident in 1957. She was married to Roy Hendricks on February 20, 1958, for 10 years, during which time she helped Roy establish the O.K.
Liquor store in Boulder. Irma's third marriage of five years was to Alva James Healey in January 1976.
Dogs were always an important part of Irma's life. From Sonny, her first, to Baloo, who kept her company over her final years, she always had a dog by her side.
Athletics were something else she loved, pitching for a semi-professional softball team just after high school and continuing as an avid swimmer and tennis player into her 50s.
Irma also loved ballroom and square dancing and was a competitive bowler in the Olympic Lanes leagues in Boulder. In the mid-1970s, Irma learned to fly, earning her private and commercial pilot licenses and the rank of captain in the Colorado Civil Air Patrol. She enjoyed her summer home in Branson, Missouri, for several years.
Irma's family is grateful to Arroyo Gardens for their excellent care and Bill Key of Green Valley for his friendship and unwavering support of Irma during her later years.