Shirley G. Lashway

Shirley G. (Gross) Lashway, 95, a loving, devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She left this world on Friday July 5, 2024, surrounded by her family. She was born in her beloved Leverett to Eva Gross on October 29, 1928. She was raised by her adoring foster parents, Walter and Bertha Richardson. Shirley attended the Leverett one room schoolhouse and then graduated from Amherst High School. While still a teenager, she met the love of her entire life, Lawrence Lashway. She and Lawrence spent 72 years together raising their 4 children; Dennis (Kathryn) Lashway of Williamsburg, Gerald (Deborah) Lashway of Williamsburg, Jane (Robert) Connelly of Arundel, ME. and Lorie Spencer of Boston. Twelve grandchildren, thirty-five great grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren. She lived her life with a youthful spirit, stating age is only a number, “It is what you feel inside that matters.” It was this attitude that made her the center of so many people’s worlds, especially her husbands and many grandchildren. Never one to put herself above anyone else, she had a soft spot in her heart for those in need or less fortunate. Shirley’s heart was always in her home, enjoying the simple things like gardening, sewing, and visiting friends. She was known for her cooking, wearing her signature aprons and always trying a new recipe. No one ever left her home hungry or feeling unwelcome. Her passing will leave for many, an emptiness in not having her kitchen table to sit at for a cup of coffee and listening ear. Shirley was sadly predeceased by her husband Lawrence, son Dennis, daughter in law Deborah and her siblings; Raymond and Chester Gross and Dorothy Duval. Calling hours at Ahearn Funeral Home, 783 Bridge Rd., Northampton will be on Wednesday July 10, 2024 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. FUNERAL SERVICES FOR SHIRLEY WILL BE THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024, AT LEVERETT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 4 MONTAGUE RD., LEVERETT, MA. AT 10:00 A.M. Burial will follow in East Leverett Cemetery. Donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to the Westfield Animal Shelter, 178 Apremont Way, Westfield, MA 01085 where she adopted her beloved Bo, her companion to the end.