Shirley Robertson

Shirley Ann Robertson, 83, of Denver, Colorado, passed away on December 15, 2022.

Shirley was born on December 8, 1939 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri to parents James S. and Mary E. Grubb. Growing up, Shirley, her parents, and two younger brothers (Charles David Grubb and James S Grubb, Jr.) lived in the St. Louis area and Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado.

In December 1963, Shirley met her future husband William Calvin Robertson (Buffalo, OK) while on a ski trip to Winter Park in Colorado.  They married in St. Louis in November 1964 and moved into a four-plex investment property in Denver, Colorado that Cal had bought before their marriage.  Two years later they moved into their forever home in southeast Denver where Shirley lived until the time of her passing.

Shirley and Cal had two children, Todd Robertson and Tricia Robertson.  The summer before Tricia began first grade she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Shirley worked for the rest of her life to learn about diabetes and help Tricia manage daily insulin injections and monitor blood sugar levels. As early as 1976 Shirley and Cal both lobbied their elected representatives for affordable prescriptions and increased research efforts for auto-immune diseases long before it became fashionable.

Shirley worked as a teaching assistant in the elementary schools Tricia attended and then moved into positions as executive assistant for a number of local companies including Cherokee Partners and Columbine Psychiatric Center. Shirley was the first employee of Columbine Psychiatric Center and worked on setting up the medical center before it was built. She also for a time was a licensed real estate agent and worked with Cal who was also a licensed real estate agent to build his client list and sell residential properties. Shirley retired in 2002.

During recent years, Shirley enjoyed following politics and watching local professional sports. Shirley was a big fan of the Denver Nuggets and would often watch NBA games until late into the night. She was very proud of her grandchildren Zach and Alyssa and enjoyed spending time with them and following their activities. She also enjoyed watching her granddaughter Alyssa play volleyball. Shirley enjoyed gardening and taking care of her home and family.

Shirley was predeceased by her father James (“Bud”) Grubb, mother Mary Grubb, brother Charles Grubb, and ex-husband Cal Robertson. She is survived by her son Todd and his wife Susan Robertson (Denver), grandchildren Zach Robertson and Alyssa Robertson, daughter Tricia Robertson (Denver), and her brother Jim and his wife Patricia Grubb (Florissant, MO).