Shirley Mae (Perrault) Thibodeau passed away peacefully in the evening on Oct. 15, 2021. At the time of her death, she was living independently at the Park Danforth retirement home in Portland, Maine.

Our mother was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April 24, 1932, to Bertha L. and Arthur J. Perrault.

Shirley graduated with honors from Lynn English High School in 1950. Shirley was a cheerleader and was the winner of the Boston Herald Spelling Bee in 1950. After high school she studied business at Burdett College.

On Oct. 26, 1952, Shirley married her high school sweetheart and best friend Clifford J. (Herky) Thibodeau and together they raised four children: Laurie, Beth, Paul and Michael. She was a dedicated and supportive mother first and foremost.

Shirley and Herky owned the “House of Flowers,” an award-winning flower shop in Lynn Massachusetts for many years.

After relocating to Boothbay Harbor, Maine in 1972, Shirley became an office manager for Ethelyn P. Giles for many years and then did the bookkeeping for The House of Logan until retiring at the age of 75 in 2007.

Shirley relocated from her beloved Boothbay Harbor to Portland to be closer to her family.

Shirley had an amazing vocabulary and a lifelong love affair with books, often reading through the night.

At 89 she could complete the New York Times crossword puzzle in minutes and humbly defeat her opponents in Scrabble.

She loved her Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots watching them faithfully right up to her passing.

She had a passion for “good” Italian food and always used the Thibodeau family sauce as a benchmark.

She was a beautiful, classy lady and it was a privilege to call her our mother.

In addition to her children,she is survived by her six grandchildren: Peter Rines, Katie Rines, Nicholas Thibodeau and his wife Lizzie, McKenzie Thibodeau, Gavin Thibodeau and Gabe Thibodeau; three great-grandchildren: Lily Thibodeau, Julian Thibodeau and Jacob Rines; daughter-in-laws Robyn Thibodeau and Niki Palmer; and son-in-law James Rines.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

Donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to Boothbay Harbor Memorial Libraryhttps://bbhlibrary.org/donate