Shirley Rita Lewis
Obituary

Shirley Rita Lewis (Shirley Mae Martin) was born on January 20, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana to Rene and Bernetta Martin.  She was the eldest of three children born to the Martins.

Shirley spent her formative years taking care of her aunt while attending school. Growing up as a caretaker, she developed a desire to help people and become a nurse.  She worked hard as a teen and saved her money so that she could attend nursing school. In September 1959, she graduated as a registered nurse from Saint Therese Hospital's School of Nursing in Waukegan, Illinois.  In her early career, she worked at various hospitals in Chicago, Illinois and in New Orleans, including the New Orleans’s Veteran’s Administration Hospital.  She inspired many of her family members to become nurses, including her sister Geraldine Cain and her grandson David Lewis.

While working in Chicago, Shirley met Calvin Pugh, also a registered nurse.  Having nursing as a common interest and career, the two fell in love and were married in January 1961.  This union produced two children, Parris Pugh in 1963 and Tracy Pugh (Holcombe) in 1966.

In late 1967, after the union ended, Shirley boldly decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue better employment opportunities and a better life for her kids.  She loaded her mustang with all of her belongings, and she and her children drove the long haul to California.  One of her proudest moments after moving to Los Angeles was the purchase of a 1966 Corvette.

In 1968, Shirley met and fell in love with Samuel William Lewis, Jr.  The two married and had two children, Samuel William Lewis, III in 1969, and Nikista Lewis in 1970.  Shirley was an independent and determined woman.  Despite adversity and another separation, she managed to purchase the Los Angeles family home in 1972 where she raised her kids.  The home remains with the family until this date.

Shirley continued to thrive as a registered nurse and worked for various nursing agencies and hospitals in the Los Angeles area including Kaiser and Cedars Sinai.  Shirley was a fierce advocate for her patients and on some occasions, put herself in harm’s way to defend them.  Although she was well-educated, she was known to constantly re-educate herself in the ever-evolving field of nursing and had a large home library of nursing and healthcare books.  At the end of her career, she managed a nursing home, Country Villa East, in East Los Angeles, as the head nurse.  Shirley retired from nursing in 2012, after over 53 years in healthcare as a registered nurse.

Shirley was also a computer whiz. She was the first, even amongst her children, to become computer literate and build her own home network.  Shirley was also a philanthropist donating to various organizations on a yearly basis.  In addition, she was very generous with her family and close friends, ensuring no one went without.  Shirley was passionate about the success of her kids and grandkids.  Though she was an introvert, she cherished moments with her family.

Shirley confessed Christ as her savior at an early age.   She made her transition from this earthly life to eternal rest on Monday, September 8, 2025. She is preceded in death by her parents Rene and Bernetta; younger sister, Geraldine Cain, and younger brother Rene Martin Jr. Shirley is survived by her children Parris Pugh, Tracy Holcombe (Marcus), Samuel Lewis, III (Rosalind), and Nikista Lewis; adored grandkids and great grand kids, David Lewis, Ronnell Wade, Destiny Lewis, Lashawnda Moore, Monique Moore-Jones, Marcus Holcombe Jr., Melissa Holcombe, De’Andra Kohl, Andrea Benlian, Greyson Crawford and Levi Benlian.  Shirley had many friends, coworkers and a host of other family members including numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, all of whom have fond memories and truly loved her.