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Obituary: Joan Shelburne

Joan Shelburne
Provided Photo
Joan Shelburne

February 12, 1938 – July 29, 2021

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost one of their biggest fans July 29, 2021, the last day Joan Shelburne sported her trademark blue & white LA ball cap. A loyal fan for over 50 years, she rarely missed a game whether in person while she had season tickets or later on television after moving from California.

Born in Los Angeles in 1938, she was on the high school swim team and quite the looker as a teenager when she worked as a bathing suit model for Cole of California. Joan asked a mutual friend to introduce her to fellow Huntington Park High School classmate Chuck Shelburne who would come to be her husband of 23 years. They raised three children, Steven, Keith & Joan (Sissy) (Allsberry) in South Pasadena where she made many cherished lifelong friends.

Joan was boldly independent and had an adventurous spirit. In 1979 she traveled with a tour group to 21 European countries in as many days. Quite the adventure for a woman whose previous international travel was limited to a few trips to Baja California, Mexico.

A devoted fan of all things Hollywood and cinema, Joan loved working at a Beverly Hills entertainment law firm where she would frequently share an elevator with a movie star or singer she admired. The world would stop on Academy Awards Sunday, her favorite day of the year.

Joan moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to be near her son Keith’s family in the 90’s but settled for good in Steamboat Springs, Colorado near her daughter Joan’s family in the early 2000’s. Her Colorado grandchildren struggled to say Grandma and in 2002, dubbed her Maga, a name which stuck these 20 years.

Joan was incredibly creative & talented, it seemed she could make or fix just about anything. She was a skilled seamstress, she made beautiful needlepoint Christmas stockings for her children and grandchildren, she did embroidery and cross stitch, she crocheted blankets, doilies and dish rags, she created patterns and complex designs for the sweaters she would knit, she painted furniture and made yo-yo’s & ribbon roses to adorn her many ball caps.

Besides the Dodgers and her children, Joan adored her daughters & son in law (Debra Shelburne, Sandy Shelburne & Todd Allsberry), her 11 grandchildren, her 5 great grandchildren, her sisters in law and their families, her cousins who treated her as their sibling, and her Southern California, Las Vegas and Steamboat friends. She loved British sitcoms, vintage cars, music & singing, bowling, sweets (especially whipped cream), she loved dogs and playing Bingo, cribbage, chess & cards with her Steamboat friends, and she loved the many healthcare workers who cared for her over the years, but she lived for Steamboat Springs Sailor volleyball, following her granddaughters’ teams around Colorado – pounding her cane, cheering, whistling & whooping it up from the stands.

Please join us for a Celebration of Life at the Allsberry’s home Sunday, August 22 at 2pm. RSVP: 970-846-0159. Joan was spunky and full of surprises. Please bring a memory to share or feel free to share by email: jallsberry@springsips.com. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local Humane Society.


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