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In memory of
Shirley Marie Velcoff-Morrison, MD
March 5, 1935 - July 1, 2021
Mar 5, 1935 - Jul 1, 2021
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Shirley's obituary
“A woman from your neighborhood should be preparing for a clerical career.” Shirley recalled that the words of her high school teacher made an unforeseen impact. When she woke up on a cold morning in the fall of 1951, at age 16, the young student from Halifax, Nova Scotia decided right then and there, she was quitting high school. “I hated it and couldn’t spend another minute there”, Shirley recalled. She gathered her notes, transcripts, and life savings, and marched into the admissions office at Dalhousie University asking to be admitted. The girl from the wrong neighborhood managed to talk her way into enrollment. Four years later, with her Biochemistry Degree in hand, Shirley made her way to Southern California where she found work in the lab of the Veterans Hospital of Long Beach.
By 1961, Shirley decided her calling was to practice medicine and applied for admission to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine.
“What does that got to do with me, I’m not suicidal.” She quipped to the interviewer. A female medical school student at UCLA had committed suicide the prior year. Her interviewer referenced this incident as the basis of why, given she was female, UCLA was unlikely to admit her to their medical school.
“To hell with them, I phoned my old chemistry professor at Dalhousie and asked about my chances of getting into the medical school. I recall him saying ‘pretty good, I happen to be on the admissions board.’”. In 1966, Shirley Velcoff graduated from Dalhousie School of Medicine and returned to California, where she married and worked as physician at Salinas General Hospital. “It was a tough area with lots of emergencies, gunshots and stabbings. We were a very busy hospital”, she reflected.
Barely a year into her tenure, Dr. Velcoff, was treating Joseph Rizor, a 40 year old former carpenter suffering from irreparable heart muscle damage caused by three previous heart attacks. “He was in bad shape and wasn’t going to make it”, Shirley remembered. In January of 1968, just a few hours drive from Salinas, pioneer heart surgeon, Dr. Norman Shumway of Stanford University, performed America’s first successful heart transplant. She recalled, “I wrote to Dr. Shumway and presented my patient as a candidate for heart transplant.” In the intervening days, Dr. Shumway and Dr. Velcoff exchanged correspondence and on May 1st, 1968, her patient Joseph Rizor underwent California’s second heart transplant at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Velcoff was offered a job with Kaiser Permanente where she practiced medicine for the next 25 years. “Mom would bring home stuffed animals, bags of fresh fruit, and so many gifts. Her patients just loved her.” Her son Brad would recall. She retired in 1995 and spent her time with family, traveling, keeping up with her medical community, and volunteering.
A high school drop-out to pioneer female physician, Shirly Marie Velcoff-Morrison passed away surrounded by her family at her home in Carmichael on July 1st. Dr. Velcoff is survived by her husband Jerry Morrison, their three children (Bradley Morrison, Karena Morrison, Liana Morrison), her sister Sandra Phypers, and six grand children (Brooke Bates, Alexis Bates, Sarah Morrison, Emma Morrison, Katie Morrison , and Charlotte Morrison).
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Memories & condolences
Sending my sincere condolences to your family. Shirley's mother (my Aunt Hilda ) and my mother were sisters.
Sincerely…
Sincerely…
Sending my sincere condolences to your family. Shirley's mother (my Aunt Hilda ) and my mother wer…
Sending my sincere condolences to your family. Shirley's mother…
My sincere condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison families. I was sorry to hear of Shirley’s passing.
My Dad, George Marr…
My Dad, George Marr…
My sincere condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison families. I was sorry to hear of Shirley’s passing.
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My sincere condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison families. I was …
My condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison Family sorry to hear of Shirly's passing. Hilda and my mother Guida were sisters…
My condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison Family sorry to hear of Shirly's passing. Hilda and my mothe…
My condolences to the Velcoff/Morrison Family sorry to hear of S…
Reta Miller-I am very sorry to hear of Shirley's passing. Our sincere condolence to the family. My Dad was Robie, Aunt…
Reta Miller-I am very sorry to hear of Shirley's passing. Our sincere condolence to the family. My …
Reta Miller-I am very sorry to hear of Shirley's passing. Our si…
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Created with love by
Bradley Morrison (Shirley's son).
