‘Advocate for the underdog’: Rep. Lou Shurtliff recalled for work supporting kids, education
LaWanna "Lou" Shurtliff speaks with Weber County Democrats at Ravoli's in Ogden on Sept. 14, 2018. She was a Utah House member serving Ogden and died Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020.
Utah Rep. Lou Shurtliff
OGDEN — Education was her passion, fighting to make sure everybody had equal access to schooling her mission.
Now, with the passing of Utah Rep. LaWanna “Lou” Shurtliff, who died Wednesday, family and friends are left remembering and mourning a woman who touched many.
“Lou was a remarkable person who spoke for those without a voice, cared for the neediest in our community and held the undoubted respect of every legislator she served with,” Oscar Mata, a friend who’s active in the Weber County Democratic Party, said Thursday, after news of Shurtliff’s death started spreading. Shurtliff, from Ogden, had just won reelection to the District 10 seat in the Utah House in November elections and served as the sole Democrat to Salt Lake City in Weber County’s legislative delegation.
Utah Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, a Democrat like Shurtliff, recalled, like many, her single-minded focus on kids and education. They served together in the Utah House and both had worked as high school teachers. “She’s really an advocate for the underdog, particularly for kids to see that they got the opportunity to succeed,” said Moss, who’s from Holladay.
BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo
LaWanna Shurtliff talks with Jason Allen at a Democratic watch party at Weber State University on Nov. 6, 2018, as returns from the election that day were coming in. Shurtliff served in the Utah House representing District 10 and died Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020.
Michelle Catts, Shurtliff’s granddaughter, had more personal remembrances, like the regular phone calls her grandma would make to family to celebrate milestone events. “She never forgot a birthday or anniversary. We all have voicemails saved away from each year when she called to sing to us,” Catts said.
Shurtliff, who was 85, died Wednesday, a little more than three weeks after her hospitalization due to pneumonia. She had started feeling unwell on Dec. 6, subsequently received the pneumonia diagnosis and checked into McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden on Dec. 7. She remained there, placed on a ventilator and sedated much of the time, until her death.
“After a three-week battle with infection, it was ultimately determined that Lou recovering and coming off of ventilatory support was not possible. In accordance with her wishes, the decision was made to let her pass peacefully. She was surrounded by her children, brothers and son-in-law,” said a message posted by Shurtliff’s family on Facebook.
Earlier, family had said doctors couldn’t pinpoint the cause of pneumonia, though they ruled out COVID-19. Catts said her case was “perplexing” for her caretakers and that her grandmother was tested for COVID-19 and bacterial and viral infections, though nothing came back positive.
“They called her death respiratory failure but never discovered a cause or underlying condition,” Catts said. Until the illness, she was in “incredible shape,” Catts said, and played golf and bowled.
Aside from those who knew her most, Shurtliff’s death generated a strong outpouring of condolences and remembrances from a cross-section of Utah political leaders and others. Before her legislative career, Shurtliff was an instructor at Ogden High School from 1966 to 1994, teaching English and accounting.
“A dedicated teacher and legislator, Rep. Lou Shurtliff worked tirelessly in service to others. Her passing is a sad loss for Utah,” U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican, said in a tweet.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert called Shurtliff ”a wonderful teacher and public servant” while Democrats, too, chimed in.
“Lou wanted everyone to have a fair shot. She wanted adults experiencing troubles with drugs and alcohol to have equitable consideration in the courts. And she was a strong, persistent voice for the opportunity of kindergarten for all children,” the Utah House Democratic Caucus said in a statement. The statement went on, touting her “voice of reason, wisdom, warmth and compassion.”
Lucille Brizzee, an Ogden High School teacher alongside Shurtliff during her years there, touted her colleague’s distinctive efforts to connect with students.
“She loved Ogden High and her students. She realized early on that some students learned differently than others and always encouraged them to teach each other the accounting principles she was trying to convey,” Brizzee said.
Ogden School District Superintendent Rich Nye said Shurtliff impacted many, “not only as a former teacher in our district but through her unwavering commitment to the public good as a legislator. Representative Shurtliff embodied the virtues of public education and will be deeply missed.”
Her win at the polls last November gave Shurtliff her second consecutive term in the District 10 post, covering parts of southern Ogden and South Ogden. But she served five terms before that, from 1999 through 2008.
Now Democratic Party officials will have to hold a special election to tab a replacement, according to Matthew Patterson, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party. Guidelines for those interested in seeking the seat will probably be finalized next week and the party has 30 days to get a nominee to the governor. State Democratic Party delegates in District 10 will make the pick.
The 2021 legislative session is set to start Jan. 19.
KIND, SWEET AND TOUGH
Shurtliff regarded herself as a moderate politician, able to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and education was a priority. Heading into the 2021 session, she had said a focus would be on kindergarten education — more specifically, a measure encouraging increased attendance. Kindergarden isn’t obligatory in Utah.
Indeed, Mata said helping others — her younger siblings, the students she taught and others — is how she’ll most be remembered. “Her legacy will continue on with the hundreds of young people whose life she influenced and touched, especially her grandchildren,” he said.
Notwithstanding the soft spot for kids, Moss cited Shurtliff’s intensity as a lawmaker.
“She’s very kind and sweet but she was tough. That’s what I loved about her,” Moss said. “People really listened. She wasn’t shy about expressing her views.”
Catts, Shurtliff’s granddaughter, cited her grandmother’s efforts in passing legislation to help victims of domestic violence, to crack down on stalking and to increase funding for Utah schools and teachers. Zach Thomas, chairperson of the Weber County Democratic Party, noted Shurtliff’s smile and the attention she gave to those helping with her campaigning.
“Through all the late nights putting up signs and dropping flyers door to door, Lou would always make sure that her volunteers knew they were valued and how much she appreciated the support. Lou absolutely loved serving the people,” Thomas said.
Catts said family members will carry on “with the zeal and commitment that her memory inspires.” Mata offered a similar sentiment, saying one of the toughest things about her death is that she was the person he would go to when he needed direction or advice.
“It’s very hard to lose that. However, I know she would advise, ‘Oscar, the work must go on,'” Mata said.
Family offered thanks to the medical team that cared for Shurtliff at McKay-Dee Hospital. Funeral details are pending. Shurtliff was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Shurtliff, who died in 2018, and is survived by a son and daughter, among others.