Valley Drug Store shared Shirley Stolp obituary on May 4, 2023. She unexpectedly passed away on April 16, 2023, in Spokane, WA, United States of America.

The deceased’s workplace, Valley Drug Store, posted the news on its official Facebook account. Store’s post shed light upon Shirley’s role in the store as she dedicated thirty precious years of her life to its service. 

Stolp was born on December 14, 1960, in Osaka, Japan, and was sent to an orphanage after her birth.

In 1963, a Japanese-American couple, Shigeko Hirai and Haidie adopted her. She was two years old at that time.

Her brother, Ken, was also adopted during the same trip. The pair brought them to their house in Quincy, WA.

However, in 1969, her family relocated to Chewelah. After moving there, her father started a seed potato business to support his family.

In 1979, Stolp completed her graduation from Jenkins High School. 

During her time at high school, she developed a fondness for animals and joined the local 4H club, and she adopted her first horse. She named the horse ‘Shetland Pony.’

After high school, she moved to Spokane and started working at Cyrus O’Leary’s, where she met her life partner, Michael Love. 

Both tied the knot in 1983 and had two daughters, Kumiko and Jenny.

Stolp and her family moved to Seattle for a very short time. After that, they relocated to Beaverton, Oregon, before shifting back to Chewelah.

In 1993, Stolp started working at the Valley Drug Store. She served there for more than 30 years and was the longest-serving employee of the store. 

After fifteen years, Stolp and Michael parted ways due to unknown reasons. 

She later married Douglas Stolp in November 2000. The late Valley Drug Store employee moved into her husband’s house on Burnt Valley Road along with her two daughters.

After moving there, she joined the Melody Riders Saddle Club, where she remained an officer and member of the club.

In 2002, she received a call from Asahi TV in Japan. The channel was aware of her life story and wanted to feature her on a new show.

Stolp departed for Japan with her husband, and after five days, she went live on National TV.

During the show, she met with her maternal- half-sister, Yumiko. They developed a close bond that remained for the rest of Stolp’s life.

Everyone who knew her knew the motto that she lived with, “Why walk, when you can run?”

Douglas and Stolp were partners on the farm and had control of their half of the barn. Douglas took care of the cows’ side while Stolp took care of the horses’ side.

Besides her love for the animals, she loved to travel with her family. 

She had been on several trips with her family, out of which Japan was her favorite country. In the last few years, she traveled to Tenerife in the Canary Islands with her family, just off the western coast of Africa.

Before her death, she was planning another trip to the same western coast of Africa this fall.

Her other passion was Pinochle, a winter recreation that traveled from home to home.

Stolp never missed any pinochle event with her best friends. She was a beloved member of the American Legion Post 54 Auxiliary.

Shirley Stolp cause of death & funeral service

Shirley Stolp obituary mentioned that her funeral service was arranged by Danekas Funeral Chapel & Crematory, and she was preceded in death by her parents, Shigeko Hirai and Haidie.

She is survived by her husband, Douglas Stolp, two daughters, Jenny and Kumiko, her brother Ken Hirai, stepdaughter Colleen Brosey, stepson Cordon Stolp, Grandson James Ehrmantraut, and several cousins.

In Japan, she is survived by her maternal- half-sister Yumiko Maeda and two nieces, Ayana Maeda and Riho Maeda. All are residing in their house in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture. 

Shirley Stolp cause of death is still unknown.