Shirley M. Gustavson

May 28, 1931 - December 23, 2019

Exeter — Shirley Ambrose Gustavson of Exeter passed away on Dec. 23, 2019 after a period of declining health. She was 88. She died peacefully, surrounded by her husband of 66 years, Arvid “Gus” Gustavson, and her loving family. Shirley was born May 28, 1931 in Cambridge, MA, to the late Leon and Jennie (Moore) Ambrose. She graduated from Arlington High School and the Katharine Gibbs School of Boston. Shirley and Gus moved to New Hampshire in 1960 and settled in Hampton Falls, where they operated a productive family farm. Shirley spent much of her life serving her community. A born leader, she was elected to the Hampton Falls School Board, and later led the local PTO and Hampton Falls Fire Dept. Women’s Auxiliary. She founded the Village Green Fair fundraiser and was elected Hampton Falls Town Clerk and Tax Collector, elected positions she held for five years, and 16 years, respectively. Shirley retired in 1987 but remained an active volunteer for charitable organizations, including Memorial Hospital in North Conway. Shirley and Gus lived an adventurous life together that included extensive travel, both in the U.S. and abroad. They moved to their vacation home in Silver Lake, NH in 1997 and spent winters on Marco Island, FL. Shirley had a magnetic personality and she made countless friends at each stop throughout her life. Family was the central part of Shirley’s life. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was strong, kind, generous and funny, and she remained so until her final days. Shirley will be greatly missed. Shirley is survived by her adoring husband, Arvid of Exeter; her children: Stephen Gustavson and his wife, Joanne Merrill of Nashua and their daughter Kyla of Philadelphia; Karen Gustavson Kulberg and her husband, John and their son, Eric and his wife Michelle and their children Viktor and Josephine of Hampton, their daughter, Lauren and her husband Casey and their children Jack and Brooks of Dover; Paul Gustavson and his sons, Luke and Trevor and Cindy Jensen Gustavson, their mother, of Ashland, MA, plus many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sisters Barbara Rice Jones of North Eastham, MA. and Doris Curtice of Eastham, MA. Visiting hours will be from 4-6 PM, Friday, Jan. 3, 2020 in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, 811 Lafayette Road, Hampton. A service celebrating Shirley's life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 11:00 AM in the funeral home. Burial will follow in the Oak Lawn Cemetery, Hampton Falls. In lieu of traditional remembrances, donations may be made in Shirley's name to the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham & Womens Hospital