I think of Shelly almost every day. She cared for so many, she inspired me, and she made me laugh. Miss her so much. 

Missing you Shelly

Missing you so very much my dear friend. Beyond words.

Carolyn

Native American Prayer

Shelly appeared in a dream last night.  So I logged on here to see how close we were to the anniversary of her death.  Sending loving prayers to all who are facing this hard anniversary with apprehension.   Grateful to have been her friend.  Grateful to have seen her again, even if just in a dream.

She loved poetic words. I know she loved these - "If I should fall behind, wait for me."   As for a story - for Ireland, I'd not tell her name.

Not long after Shelly and my cousin Mark Obrinsky decided to get married, I met Shelly at a professional meeting in a city to which we both had traveled. At the time, Shelly worked for NCSL – the National Conference of State Legislatures – and I was serving, and still do, in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Shelly was one of the hosts and facilitators of the meeting on health care, and we were both anticipating our first meeting. Though I still cannot recall the city in which we met, what I remember well is how much I enjoyed Shelly, as a person and as a professional. I recall thinking how very fortunate Shelly and Mark were to have found each other.

Over the years, Shelly has become a much-beloved family member, embracing all of Mark’s siblings, his mother, cousins, aunts, uncle, nieces, and nephews. My adult children now live in San Diego and the Denver area, and their children all know Mark and Shelly well. Shelly has always made each of them feel special – by listening carefully, indulging them, entertaining them, and being a warm presence in their lives.

I am so grateful our family has been part of her journey and for her presence in our lives. She will always be with us.

Champion. Coach. Supporter. Advocate. Expert.       Good Friend.

Shelly made good things happen for others with her smarts, energy, caring, and concern.

On behalf of the millions of children she helped through her tremendous commitment to oral health for all, I say Thank You Shelly. 

I met Shelly at Pew and what I noticed immediately was that giant smile and a laugh that would fill a room. What I remember most is when she took me out to lunch and told me that she was thinking about making the switch to life coach and asked me if I thought she'd be well suited to it. And I remember laughing out loud in the middle of a bite and saying, "You're asking me??? Well of course you should do this. You're Shelly!" So she made me be one of her first guinea pigs and I benefited immensely from her warmth, her listening, her compassion, and her clear-eyed advice. We stayed in touch sporadically throughout the years (of course now I wish it was more than that), and I'll add that, as I get older, I have always thought back to Shelly and thought of her as a role model in the way she lived her life to the fullest. I wish I had told her that, but nonetheless, she continued to "coach" by example long after our little experiment ended. I will miss her. And I am so deeply grateful for the mark she left on me, and on so many.

Shelly's smile and sparkling eyes will always reflect toothbrushes, trees, hospitality and love of family, friends and life.  Many years ago when  planning to go to Honduras on a mission trip, Shelly came to me and asked if she could bring something for the members of the community we were serving. Not knowing what it was I said we all were bringing various items arts, crafts, clothes etc. and encouraged her.  Shelly  showed up at the airport with 500 small kits of toothpaste and toothbrushes for the community. I will never forget her huge smile as she showed members what to do with the items in the kits. Then there are trees. While in Honduras we met an ecologist "Roy Lara" who was growing and planting trees to help save the aquafers which supplied water to several communities. A small group of us gathered to hear Roy speak. The effort needed resources and $$. Shelly, myself and a couple other HNG members immediately held a mini kitchen conference. Shelly made it known that this is where our budget should be focused because it would help sustain so many people and Roy's plan was solid - we agreed!! Because of that meeting and Shelly's amazing continuing contributions the non-profit supporting the re-forestation and drought prevention efforts  "Sustainable Villages - Honduras" exists today saving the water sources in Latin America one tree at a time. Shelly and Mark thank you for opening your house so many times for so many meetings and always hosting an amazing spread.  

Shelly at happy hour with former Pew colleagues

Shelly hired me to come to Pew back in 2012. I really flourished under her leadership. She was generous in sharing her knowledge and wisdom and directed our team with grace, humor, humility and quiet confidence. Under her stewardship, Pew really did move the needle on expanding access to oral health care for low-income children. And boy was she a great writer. Shelly was also a terrific friend. After her stint at Pew, we would get together periodically and laugh and eat and drink and pontificate and eat more. I always admired her optimism and the way she lived her life – without a trace of resignation. I will sorely miss her friendship.

Shelly brought so much joy and grace to the world. We will all miss her sorely. May memories of the warmth of her deep and vibrant love help you in this time of sorrow, and may God hold you close in the wings of His love.
With deepest sympathy & love,
Sally, Kirk, Alex & Bryant Renaud/Duggin

Selfie time with GSPP classmate!

Shelly, Alex, and some of Shelly's GSPP Classmates at the 2014 Alumni Dinner

To Alex and all your family, my deepest condolences. I've known Shelly since the early 2000s as an alum of the Goldman School. After many years of only corresponding via email (she always sent me job opportunities she thought students might be interested in), I finally met Shelly in person when the Goldman School started doing events in DC, and then worked with her very closely from 2013-2019 when she served on the alumni board. This is when I really got to know Shelly - her positivity, unwavering energy and desire to help others, passion for living life to the fullest, and deep dedication to her family, friends, and loved ones. She will be deeply missed.

We have lost an amazing woman. Shelly and I became friends in 1984 at Berkeley, and remained friends all these years.  She is one of the warmest, wisest, most empathetic people I have known.  And she imparted the same to all her family and friends. We will all miss her fiercely...

I met Shelly in high school and she became my best friend. She taught me about the importance and wonder of hugging. (my father was German and hugging did not happen in our family.) We gave each other support. And, for the following 52 years we continued to give each other support. We were supposed to grow old together.

I lived in Ithaca with Shelly for a year while she was at Cornell University. She moved off to Austin, Boston and California and finally settled in Bethesda. I stayed in Ithaca NY. We were pregnant at the same time and I have pictures of our children together.

We both had our first marriages end and we both were lucky enough to find second partners that filled our lives with happiness. The last few years we have been connecting as a foursome and we were looking forward to another visit this summer and for many more years.

I will miss our daily 5 games of Words with Friends and I will miss my best friend.

Last summer visit with Mark and Shelly

Shelly sent me this photo as a postcard after she graduated from Cornell and moved to Austin

Shelly in high school

Dancing at Becky & Anthony’s Wedding — with Mark Obrinsky