Shirley Upton Obituary

Shirley Dixon Upton

Kennebunkport, ME - Shirley Dixon Upton - A Shade Different

Shirley Dixon Upton peacefully passed away on December 22nd with her family by her side, at Seal Rock Nursing Home is Saco, Me. Daughter of Harold W. Dixon and Ida Connor Dixon. She was preceded by her brother Dick Dixon of Sedona, Az in 2016. Shirley was born on June 22, 1928, and raised in West Newton, MA. Shirley attended St. Ann's School and Chapel Hill School. A highlight of her teenage years was a West Coast trip with her beloved Aunt Pearl where she toured Hollywood movie sets with an uncle who was a movie sound engineer.

After high school her criteria for college was a campus near water so she attended Endicott Junior College, in Beverly, Ma, where her dorm room did have a view of the water and was coincidentally located next to former US Senator Henry Cabot Lodge's house. Shirley's dedication to academics at Endicott was admittedly tenuously, but she persevered and graduated in 1948. She did "attend" Harvard as a receptionist while her brother majored in physics.

She met Richardson Knowland and married in 1952. Sons Rick and Scott were born shortly thereafter as Shirley settled in as a loving mother and homemaker. Over the next two decades as her husband started his career at International Paper Company, the family experienced a whirl wind of company transfers moving from Massachusetts to Maine to NH back to Massachusetts to Missouri then back to Hopkinton NH. Living in different states was an adventure and Shirley managed to provide a loving and supportive environment for her children despite the constant chaos of moving and new schools.

She later married Richard Upton of Concord, NH in 1975. A few years later she bought her first house in Kennebunkport and enjoyed living in both Concord and Kennebunkport. Richard and Shirley traveled often including numerous trips to the Ritz and Newbury St in Boston, Europe, the Caribbean, and a memorable trip to the West Coast during the 1987 San Francisco earthquake.

Shirley was a collector of fine art, furniture, many cars, and artifacts. She had a keen eye for the classics and knew her investments were for a secure future. She also found great companionship with many pets over the years and her most recent dog was a rescue dog who needed extensive care. This allowed Shirley a focus and a place to put her care and compassion while living independently in her later years.

Shirley continued to explore many other places to live as a single woman and spent a few snowbird months in Florida for many years. 9/11 changed the ease of travel for her so she settled in Hopkinton, NH. Although Shirley loved the Concord area, she eventually made the Kennebunks her final homestead, as he enjoyed the people, scenic beauty, the small-town feel, and of course the closeness to the ocean. She met many lifelong friends in the Kennebunks.

Having a desire to have a business of her own, Shirley decided to open a business in Kennebunkport, "A Shade Different ", featuring lamp shades and other interior decorations. Shirley personally made many of the hand cut lampshades. Her clientele varied from tourists to locals including former first lady Barbara Bush. Known as the Lamp Shade Lady, Shirley had to close her store after 20 plus years when arthritis no longer allowed her to nimbly make lamp shades.

Like the name's sake of her store, Shirley was A Shade Different. Whether it was her shop, clothing, houses, or cars they all reflected her eclectic sense of design, color, style, and fashion. In all aspects of her life, bland and boring was never an option. Shirley's father was an interior decorator, and she studied the subject at school, so her brain and DNA prevented it. She was often referred to as "Shirl the Whirl" affectionately by her family and close friends. Some of her best memories were the weekly gatherings with her lunch buddies in Concord or Kennebunkport to share stories about their kids and grandchildren. That and her regular trips to the local Talbot's Clothing store!

Shirley was a loving person who deeply cared about others. She was extraordinarily generous to people and when she left her house in Kennebunk for assisted living, she shared over 2 dozen handmade lampshades with her sons' friends in Maine, NH, Vt, and New York.

Shirley is survived by her son, Richard Knowland and his wife Regina and their daughter Meagan, and her son Scott Knowland and his partner Kathleen Blain.

Special thanks to the staff of Hospice of Southern Maine and Seal Rock Nursing Home for their compassion and care particularly in the waning days of Shirley's life. Also, special mention to friend and care giver Susan Jackson whose dedication and support of Shirley over the years and weekly visits at the nursing facility were paramount to her care.

A celebration of Shirley's life will take place in Kennebunkport sometime in the spring. Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of Southern Maine https://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/ or share a kind word or act of kindness to someone today in Shirley's memory.