- Date Of Birth: March 26, 1932
- Date Of Death: December 6, 2021
- State: Iowa
Shirlee Ina Marcovis of West Des Moines passed away peacefully in her sleep at Deerfield Retirement Community on the morning of December 6, 2021. She was 89 years old.
Born on March 26, 1932, in Rock Island, Illinois to Himan and Blanche Weindruch, Shirlee lived in the Quad Cities and Chicago before marrying James Marcovis of Des Moines in 1952. A graduate of Rock Island High School and former student at Roosevelt University, Shirlee welcomed her first child, Bobbi (1953), shortly before moving to Okinawa where Jim was stationed at the end of the Korean War. While overseas, Shirlee’s second child, Frank, was born (1955), and upon returning in 1955 she and Jim settled in Des Moines with their growing family, including their third child, David.
Shirlee was a kind, social, and spirited woman. She enjoyed dancing and spending time with friends and family—often playing tennis, gin rummy, canasta, bridge, and mahjong. Shirlee was a tremendous cook and baker, and she was known by many for her impressive gardening skills. She had an immense talent for knitting, crocheting, and needlework, and she also had a discerning eye for fashion.
She owned two businesses in the Des Moines area (the children’s store Jean Junction, and Indian Hills Needlepoint and Yarn), and she was an active art enthusiast (attending countless art fairs, often searching for paintings/sculptures of hippos to add to her extraordinary collection). Though based in Des Moines, Shirlee loved to travel, spending much of each year in Arizona and taking trips across the world—visiting Alaska, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, and Spain. She was also a committed member of Tifereth Israel Synagogue for over 40 years.
A loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and niece, Shirlee is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years, James Marcovis; her children Bobbi (Nashi) Khalastchi, Frank (Janel) Marcovis, and David Marcovis; her grandchildren Jenny (Phil) Blumberg, Dr. Karen (Malcolm) Goodwin, Daniel (Kate Conlow) Khalastchi, Jeff Marcovis, and Mike Marcovis; her five great-grandchildren, Mia and Zara Blumberg, Jackson Marcovis, and Sloane and Reese Goodwin; her three brothers, Harry (Maxine) Weindruch, Larry (Judy) Weindruch, and Michael (Debbie) Weindruch; and her uncle, David Kleinerman. She was preceded in passing by her mother and father, Blanche and Himan Weindruch.
