May 23, 1927 – March 24, 2020
Shirley O. Thiel ’53-A of Fairfield, Washington, died March 24, 2020, in Walla Walla, Washington, at the age of 92.
Dr. Thiel was born May 23, 1927, to Rannels and Alfredda Owens in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After graduating from Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University) and then medical school at the College of Medical Evangelists, Dr. Thiel completed a one-year internship in general practice at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Washington. She next practiced classic small-farming-town family medicine in Palouse and then Fairfield, Washington, until her retirement in 1990.
Dr. Thiel met Francis A. Thiel ’53-A in college when he returned as a GI. They graduated together in 1948 and then entered medical school. They were married in her parents’ home in 1950 during medical school.
Four children blessed their lives and kept her busy as a full-time mother and part-time small town doctor. She and Francis practiced together in Fairfield and were active members of the Fairfield Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Dr. Shirley Thiel was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Francis Thiel, her parents, her brother, Richard, and sister, Patricia. She is survived by her children, Arthur ’79-B (Shelley ’81), Loren (Vicki), Norman (Sharon), and Nancy; and seven grandchildren, Tiffany, Cedric ’19, MacGuire, Craig, Hannah, Rachel, and Lydia.
(Source: Family of Dr. Thiel)
