Shirley Delores Achabal

Shirley Delores was welcomed into the world on August 11th, 1926 to Wilbur and Rose Scheller. She joined a big brother Sam and later the family added another brother Bill and a little sister Bette. Shirley spent her first 12 years growing up on the family farm in Saint Frances, Kansas. In 1935 the family farm and most of the livestock was lost in the Republican River Flood. This occurred in the middle of the great depression when there were no government services or financial assistance. The family was without a home. Neighbors, friends and family pitched in to help. A local farmer had an old sod house on his property called a “soddy” and he offered this to the family. Having nowhere else to go, they moved into the sod house where they lived for 3 years. Rose Scheller put sheeting over the ceiling to keep dirt off the table. In 1938 the family moved to Longmont Colorado where Shirley graduated from high school. In 1952 the family moved to Greeley, Colorado. Shortly after the family moved to Colorado, Shirley moved to Boise Idaho, where she worked at the old Idaho Seventh Day Adventist Conference office on Cassia street. She also was the treasurer for the Boise Central Seventh Day Adventist church for 16 years.
Shirley married A.J. (Adolfo James) Achabal Oct 4th, 1953, in Greeley, Colorado and they began their life in Boise, Idaho. Shirley and A.J. welcomed a son, Cleto Ygnacio Achabal on May 27th, 1958. Cleto joined his big brother Jimmy Achabal, AJ’s son. The family lived on 2811 Kootenai Street until 1968 when AJ and Shirley moved to 160 Appaloosa Drive, their final home.
Shirley worked by AJ’s side as the bookkeeper for their business, Boise-Winnemucca Stages until 1996, when she retired. AJ passed away in April of 2000.
She was fiercely independent and lived by herself for many years. She loved exercising, eating healthy and staying fit.
In 2011 Shirley was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Even with that diagnosis, she was able to stay in her home for another two years with assistance from wonderful caregivers who became good friends.
In 2013, the decision was made to move her into Rockwood retirement, an alzheimer’s care facility in Spokane Washington.
She remained at Rockwood, where she passed away peacefully August 23rd, 2018.
Shirley is survived by her son Cleto (Pam) Achabal, Granddaughter Amorita and her step-son Jimmy (Vicki) Achabal and Jimmy’s children Kyle and Aubri, her brother Bill (Norma) Scheller and sister Bette Brown. She had numerous nieces and nephews whom she loved very much.
She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband AJ Achabal, brother Sam, brother-in-law Gary Brown and sister-in-law Ruby Scheller.
Viewing will be September 7th at Cloverdale Funeral Home from 6-8 pm.
Funeral Services will be Saturday September 8th at 4 pm at the Cloverdale Seventh Day Adventist Church.
More information and a life sketch can be found at https://www.cloverdalefuneralhome.com/
Flowers can be sent to Cloverdale funeral home
1200 N Cloverdale Rd, Boise Idaho 83713