Shelby Larsen, 77, of Pacific Palisades, California, and Sanibel Island, Florida, passed away peacefully on April 29, surrounded by her loving family.
Shelby was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. During her childhood the family moved to Oklahoma and eventually settled in Park Forest, Illinois.
Shelby attended Michigan State University and graduated with a B.A. in radio and television. It was here that she met her husband, Chuck, and they were married for 56 years.
While raising her family, she earned an M.A. in education from Michigan State University, a J.D. from The Ohio State University Law School, and an LLM from New York University School of Law. Later in life she followed her calling and received a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.
Shelby worked throughout her life, first practicing law in Ohio, Connecticut, New York and California. She later held the positions of Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica and Parish Associate at Palisades Presbyterian Church in Pacific Palisades. She also volunteered as a chaplain at UCLA Medical Center and Providence St. John’s Hospital.
She enjoyed reading, scuba diving, bridge, being with her family and travel. She and Chuck explored all seven continents, six more than once.
Shelby was preceded in death by her parents, Woodrow and Jeanne Smith. She is survived by her husband, Chuck Larsen; daughters and sons-in-law, Tonya and Ken Lawson, Wendy and Phil Jamison, and Alexis and Ed McKenzie; her sister and brother-in-law Debra and John Lee, her brother and sister-in-law Stephen and Gayle Smith; and her eight wonderful grandchildren: Andrew, Jayne, Alex, Emily, Henry, Riley, Teagan and Lucas.
A Celebration of Life will be held June 17 at 2 p.m. at Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Have a Heart, Save a Heart (haveaheartsaveaheart.org) in her loving memory.
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