Shirley Joan Dolan

Shirley Joan Dolan passed away on December 6, 2025 in Littleton, Colorado. Shirley was 88 years old.

Shirley was a native Coloradan and was born on February 5, 1937 in Buena Vista, Colorado. Her parents were Frank and Eleanor Newcomb from Leadville, Colorado. She was the second oldest sibling in a family of four children.

While Shirley spent the first few years of her life in the high mountains of Colorado, the family moved to Oakland, California in 1941. She graduated from Castlemont High School in 1954. It was at Castlemont High School where she met Terry Dolan, and they married on July 14, 1956. They remained married for nearly 56 years until Terry’s own passing in 2012.

Shirley and Terry lived in Oakland and eventually bought their first home together in San Leandro, CA. In 1964, they adopted their first son, Mark Edward Dolan. And in 1968, their second son, Scott Alan Dolan, was born. With a family of four, they outgrew their home and decided to move to San Ramon, California in 1976.

San Ramon was a brand-new bedroom community at the time, and they were one of the first residents in the newly constructed neighborhood. As the boys grew older, Shirley began to work for Walt Disney Elementary school as a teacher’s aide, specializing in helping kids learn how to read. She liked it so much, she continued to do it for more than 20 years at the same school.

In the early 1990’s Shirley retired and went on many adventures with Terry. They went on cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Hawaii and Germany. They also traveled to Nevada, Colorado and Virginia to visit their sons and grandchildren: Chris, Heather and Ryan. And of course they took many trips to their favorite place of all: Lake Tahoe.

In 2012, Terry passed away and Shirley continued to fill her time with family in the Bay Area. In 2023, Shirley moved to Littleton, Colorado where she could be closer with her immediate family.

Shirley enjoyed life. She was a kind, accepting and supportive person to the end. She enjoyed reading, gardening, traveling, cruising, playing at casinos, watching the Raiders and 49ers, cheering on the A’s, and spending time with her family and neighbors.

Shirley is survived by her sons, Mark and Scott Dolan, her daughter-in-law Krista Dolan and 3 grandchildren (Chris, Heather and Ryan), her older brother Don (Blanchard) Newcomb, and her younger sister Leora Memory. She also is survived by 4 brothers and sisters-in-law and 12 nieces and nephews.

The family will be arranging for a celebration of Shirley’s life in January 2026 in the California Bay Area. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Bright Focus Alzheimer’s Disease Research Help fight Alzheimer's. We need to find a cure!