Shirley Hazel Besse

The Livestream Link will be available HERE on the day of the service and will go live approximately 5 minutes before the event.

Shirley Hazel Besse died peacefully on March 30, 2026 at the age of 91. Shirley was born on September 17, 1934 in Calgary AB to Tom and Grace Milton. The family moved to Saskatoon in 1950. The eldest of 3 children, she attended Saskatoon Technical Collegiate.  

Shirley married Bud Besse on June 14, 1952 when they were 17 years old. They raised four children and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in June 2022, prior to Bud's passing in 2023. Together they created lasting family memories at their Waldsea Lake cabin, Milton and Besse Family Reunions, Boxing Day Extended Family Dinners as well as smaller gatherings of their own family at Pike Lake and Waskesiu. Shirley and Bud enjoyed two decades of snowbird travel to Arizona and California. 

 Shirley's first job was as a uniformed usherette at The Rex Movie Theatre in Calgary. While primarily a very involved stay-at-home Mom, Shirley worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Saskatoon Motor Products; managed the box office when the Centennial Auditorium (TCU Place) opened in 1968; and was an organizer of the 1971 Canada Winter Games.

 From golf, curling, tennis and cross country skiing to teaching line dancing and clogging, Shirley was active throughout her life. She was a passionate golfer and a long time member at Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. Shirley got a hole in one at Wildwood Golf Course in 1986. She played in the Waskesiu Ladies' Lobstick Golf Tournament for many years and won the Senior Ladies' Championship in 1998. 

 Shirley was a Pow City Kinette, volunteered yearly collecting donations for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and served on the Ladies' Executive at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. During the pandemic, she banged on pots every night at 7 PM to thank frontline health care staff. 

 Shirley excelled at cooking, sewing, costume making, knitting, crocheting, painting, writing poetry, and family genealogy. She loved all card games with family from double solitaire to Kaiser challenges, playing bridge, bingo, and time with many friends including her Ya-Yas (you know who you are). 

 Shirley was the joyful heart of her family. She brought the love, the laugher and the music. From Sunday dinners to spontaneous singalongs and dance parties, she had a bright, beautiful smile and a boisterous laugh. With her dark curly hair (that turned snow white), her red lipstick and impeccable taste in clothing, she always looked her best. Lovingly nicknamed MamaBear, she was fiercely protective of her family, but opened her heart and home to those that needed her. As a child, she learned to read a little music and play piano. In her later years, she treasured her 27 string zither, her concertina and her pineapple ukulele and played all with wild abandon. And she was always singing. To the end of her life, she remembered words to every song she ever knew. Shirley taught the world to sing You are My Sunshine and then provided the harmony. Beautiful inside and out. 

 Shirley will be loving remembered and cherished by her daughters Deb (Doug) and Lyn; sons Randy (Jan) and Tom (Tracy); grandchildren Jami (Troy), Jana (Tyler), Erin (Mitch), Bryn (Roxanne), Sean, Noah and Kylie; great-grandchildren Ty, Ruby, Jorja, Elijah, Sarah and Reese; her sister Carol Tangeman (Bob); and many nieces and nephews. Shirley was predeceased by her sweetheart and best friend Bud in 2023; her parents; and her brother and sister-in law Tom and Ruth Milton. 

 The family is very grateful for the outstanding care Shirley received from all staff at Samaritan Place and for the medical expertise and guidance of Dr. Matthew Wong and Dr Bob Parker. Please direct any donations in Shirley's memory to the Saskatoon SPCA or the Alzheimer's Society of Saskatchewan. 

 Bud and Shirley are dancing once again to the Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody, their favourite song. 

The joyful heart of her family

 A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at Saskatoon Funeral Home located at 338 4th Avenue North, Saskatoon. Please direct any donations in Shirley's memory to the Saskatoon SPCA or the Alzheimer's Society of Saskatchewan.