A Legacy of Kindness, Compassion and Joy

Shirley Folbrecht was known for spreading kindness wherever she went. Her love of family, friends and community remained at the center of her full and vibrant life throughout her years in both Chesterfield and Groton.

Adored by her many friends in The Red Hat Society, Chesterfield Firehouse Women’s Auxiliary and Lawrence + Memorial Auxiliary, Shirley was an accomplished seamstress, crafter and painter as well as a great cook who delighted in baking hundreds of holiday cookies to share with everyone she knew.

Shirley spent many years volunteering in the Emergency Department of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. After her husband, Albert Folbrecht, passed away in 1994, she continued to volunteer at L+M. She later met fellow volunteer Robert Walsh and they eventually married.

Shirley was known not only for her kindness but also for her courage. She beat cancer several times throughout her life.

She understood both illness and loss, but it was her compassion and joy for which she was known. When Shirley passed away in 2015, she was lovingly remembered for her seemingly limitless ability to help others.

Through a generous bequest to the Lawrence + Memorial Auxiliary, Shirley continues to support the programs and departments she was passionate about today. In 2022 it was announced that a triage area of the newly renovated Emergency Department at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, the very place where Shirley volunteered for so many years, would be named in her honor and memory.