Shirley Dettmann
1929-2026
Shirley Z. Dettmann (that’s Z for Zimney) passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 96. She lived in Goleta for over 50 years, arriving in the summer of 1972 with husband Don and their four children, Julie, Andrew, Jean, and Steve, due to Don’s career with Delco Systems. Their family odyssey included the Apollo era, with homes in Cocoa Beach, Denver, Little Rock, and Long Island, forging many dear friendships along the way.
Born in Milwaukee, in 1929, Shirley was the middle of three sisters in a vibrant, hard-working family of Polish heritage. All three attended the University of Wisconsin as first-generation college students. In Madison, Shirley wrote for the Daily Cardinal, graduated in 1952, and joined the staff of the Capital Times. She met Don just before college while singing in the chorus of Milwaukee Civic Light Opera when Don supposedly “forgot” his music and asked to share hers. They were married for over 43 years until Don’s passing in 1999. Their love of musicals, dancing, and singing around the piano is forever in the family DNA.
As a community activist, Shirley served on the PTA at La Patera Elementary and Goleta Valley Junior High. She was a fierce advocate and volunteer for the arts and became a director of the PTA Creative Arts Co-op, an after-school program giving Goleta elementary students the opportunity to study theater, dance, gymnastics, visual arts, piano, guitar and other instruments with expert instructors. She was appointed to the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and wrote the percent-for-arts plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors. She subsequently co-founded The Arts Fund, in 1983, creating a nonprofit partner to promote and support the arts countywide. Shirley relished her time as a docent with the Santa Barbara Art Museum and enjoyed leading school tours and traveling with the docents to iconic art museums in Bilbao, Kyoto, and New York City. She received a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award in 2016.
She was active in the American Association of University Women and later joined the Assistance League, now Community Friends of Santa Barbara, serving in many roles, including treasurer. She volunteered with Catholic Charities and Handicapables and was a longtime parishioner at St. Mark’s University Parish where she was a lector until almost 90.
Shirley is remembered for her sharp, analytical mind and sense of adventure. She enjoyed theater outings, Bridge, and travel with friends, including an African safari. She loved coffee and crossword puzzles, discussing the stock market, and debating politics over a glass of wine. She was the number one fan (and constant chauffeur) for her children’s music, dance and sports activities and later traveled by air, road and rail to cheer her nine grandchildren — Ben, Emily, Molly, Nathan, Ethan, Lily, Evie, Lauren and Grant — in their theater and ballet productions and to celebrate birthdays, First Communions, and graduations. When great-grandbabies Natalie and Isaac joined the lineup, she could still get down on the floor to play with them — and get up again! Shirley often expressed deep gratitude for her lifetime of good health and the blessing of family and friends, whom she cherished.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Please reach out to family for updates. Donations in Shirley’s memory can be made to The Arts Fund, https://artsfundsb.org/ or to Community Friends of Santa Barbara, https://cfofsb.org.
