Obituary of Shirley Theresa Josephine Digby (nee Suares), March 1, 1937 – August 15, 2026

It is with heavy hearts and unending gratitude for her life that we share the passing of Shirley Digby, abiding wife to Reggie and faithful mother to Raymond, John, Adrian, and Trevor.  Shirley passed away peacefully in care at Maple Grove Nursing Home in Brampton, Ontario at 2:29 in the afternoon.  She died as she lived, with dignity and grace.

Born on an Indian spring day in Bandra, Bombay, India, Shirley was the eldest of three children (Rosita and Jude) to Edward and Vida Suares (nee Coelho).  She was surrounded by the love of her Coelho uncles, aunts and over two dozen cousins who made her early family life rich and plentiful, spawning life-long relationships that span the globe.  She attended St. Joseph’s Convent School where she completed her matriculation and furthered herself thereafter with a diploma from Burnleys in Secretarial Sciences.  Her Catholic faith was a mainstay throughout her life as she sought to love as Jesus loved.  While she worked outside the home as a secretary for the New Zealand Trade Commission, The Ontario Ministry of Labour, and White Electronics, her first vocation and calling was to be a wife to Reg and mother to her four boys. Reg was her best friend and lover, married for 67 years, their relationship was a blessing to all who encountered them.  A devoted mother, she listened to her boys’ joys and sorrows, building their capacity to be responsible, trustworthy, and successful men.   Her unending attention and expectation to build a Christian family taught us all to share our time, forgive our transgressions, and welcome the lonely and newcomer.  With Reg, she visited the prisons in Brampton for 20 unyielding years, playing guitar with inmates during weekly mass while Reg tutored in Math and English.  You knew she was there, bringing joy to the day, whether it was  as a Beaver leader named Bubbles, on the soccer pitch, yelling, ”Go Dorval, Go “ at the top of her lungs while jumbo jets roared above landing in the Dorval airport next door – or commanding a choir of 30 children at St. John Fisher and St. Anthony of Padua parishes every weekend for over 30 years.  “SING GIRLS!!!!” Lastly, Shirley loved to stay active by swimming, playing tennis, and taking 30km Sunday bike rides and cross-country skiing with Reggie, well into her eighties.