Shirley gave up a career as an opera singer to marry Lennart Parkfelt and went to live in Sweden where all three of their children were born.
When Lennart retired from shipping, they came to live in the Cape and bought three farms in Franschhoek.
Shirley was passionate about architectural and cultural conservation and did much to preserve the French ambience of Franschhoek.
Shirley’s support and patronage of Barbara Kennedy’s renowned
Franschhoek Chamber Music Workshop is one of her enduring legacies.
She became connected with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and served as a Board Member and Trustee.
She was also twice Chairman of the Friends of Orchestral Music and worked on the committee until she turned 90.
The Members and Committee of the Friends of Orchestral Music pay tribute to Shirley and give thanks, with love, for her wonderful life and steadfast friendship to us all.