When her husband, Ron Burnham, graduated they moved to Vernon where Shirley retired to the home to raise their eleven children.

Her community service includes chair of the Vernon Heart Foundation campaign, Okanagan College board member and member of a Task Force for Education.  Her church service includes twenty years teaching an early morning youth scripture class and later as a volunteer worker in the Seattle, then San Diego and currently the Vancouver Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She is still retired.