Resident of Antioch, CA

Shirley was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 16, 1935, to Glen Dale and Mazie Marie (Laughlin) Neece. She passed away on August 11, 2022, at her home in Antioch after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s. She will be greatly missed by friends and family alike.

Shirley grew up in San Jose, California with sister Mazie and brother, John. It was in high school that she met Stan Smith and they were married on August 30, 1953.

Stan had enlisted in the Army and onhis way tobedeployed in Germany during the Korean War, their first child, Laura, was born in 1954. Les soon followed in 1956 and finally Brad completed their family in 1960.

Shirley was a woman of many talents and interests. In the late 1950’s, she was trained by famed Hungarian track and field coach, Mihály Iglói, as an Olympic contender in the discus event. Later in life she completed her training as a small plane pilot. Following in her father’s footsteps she served as a Reserve Police Officer in Antioch.

Indulging her artistic side, she crafted pottery and stained-glass pieces and painted award-winning still-life subjects. An accomplished family historian, Shirley was very proud of her Scots Irish ancestry and of her connection to the Clan MacLachlan. She made many trips to Scotland including a visit to her Clan’s castle and estate.

Professionally, Shirley worked at Dow Chemical for many years, where she also served on the Credit Union Board of Directors.

On February 26, 2000, Shirley married Conrad Diethelm whom she met while they both worked at Dow. They traveled together and saw much of the world. They were great partners. Conrad preceded Shirley in death on April 5, 2018. Shirley’s daughter, Laura and her sister Mazie preceded Shirley in death and their loss were great sorrows to her heart. Shirley is survived by her son, Les (Barbara), her son Brad (Penny), her grandsons Luke, Marc (Chelsea), Sean, great-granddaughter Charlee and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to attend a Memorial Service at 2:00 pm on Thursday, August 25th at Higgins Funeral Home in Antioch at 1310 ASt. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/?form=alz_donate.