Bernadette "Bebe" Shutts

Bernadette Celeste “Bebe” Shutts was welcomed into the world by her loving parents, Florence and Leo Brown, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1926. Bebe’s older sister couldn’t say “Bernadette” and tried to say “Baby” thus “Bebe”, a name that stuck. Bebe grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. Raised in an Irish Catholic family, Bebe attended Cathedral Schools and Augustana College, where she honed business skills like typing and shorthand. Those skills led 20 year old Bebe to a secretarial position at the Sioux Falls Army Air Base, a job that destined her to meet a young, handsome veteran named Mark Shutts, with whom she would soon fall in love. Mark had been accepted at USC and had a job waiting for him in California. He proposed in a letter, Bebe accepted and off she went to California where they married in 1947 and went on to the challenging task of raising a family of seven children!

Bebe’s true passion in life was her family. The proud mother of two daughters and five sons, she dedicated herself to raising us and this was no easy task. These were very active children with a myriad of interests. She did a remarkable job of filling our lives with love, laughter, healthy meals and precious memories. She taught us moral values, to love God, how to pray, how to care for one another and how to pursue our own interests. Mom was comforted during the loss of our brother Danny in 1997 by her faith that he was with God and her relief that he was no longer struggling. How she possibly accomplished all that she did is really one of God’s great mysteries, because raising a large family was not Bebe’s only endeavor!

For over 35 years beginning in the ‘60s, Bebe worked part time and later full time for St. Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach as a Medical Transcriptionist, learning Latin medical terminology and employing her topnotch clerical skills. Using a computer and fax machine on the job, Bebe kept up with modern times and learned to use an iphone, ipad, email, Facebook, FaceTime and GPS. Not bad for someone born almost 100 years ago!

Blessed with a beautiful soprano voice, music filled Bebe’s entire life. In her early years she sang in school and church choirs and learned to play accordion, piano and marimba. A soloist several times, Bebe even sang at the weddings of our cousins. Two of the biggest joys of her elder years were singing in the choirs at St. Anne Catholic Church and in the 50 member Cypress Senior Center Adult Choir.

Widowed in 1985, Bebe was able to recover by relying on her faith in God, her bereavement group, a wonderful counselor and support from friends, family and her church community. She took up golf and yoga and joined the Sweet Adelines, singing at venues all over California and even in Las Vegas. She traveled the world with friends and family, joined two Red Hat Ladies groups and developed a daily routine of riding the exercise bike, swimming laps, going to mass and working part time well into her mid 70s. Always wanting to learn, Bebe read books, took classes and dedicated herself to keeping an active mind. This forward thinking created some problems when she still insisted on driving her car until age 94 (she could barely see over the dashboard)!

Bebe was blessed with the richness of wonderful friends and neighbors. Her family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to those who have shown love and compassion towards her. We also wish to thank our own friends and neighbors for their support in the loss of our precious mom. She had amazing caregivers over the past four years: her six children, her earthly angel Aefril Certifico, plus Mindi, Estela, Leah, Ruth, Cristy and Ana. Together we became Team Bebe to give her the love and care she so deserved. Her family will forever remember and appreciate her loving heart, generous nature, beautiful voice, warm hugs, delighted smiles, vibrant enthusiasm for life, spirited support, wise advice, integrity and courage. She taught every one of us lessons about how to live a good life through her example.