Shirley Chess

Shirley Dorothy Chess answered the call of her beloved departed husband Alvin Chess when he said "C'mon Shirl, let's go" on December 14th, 2023. Born in Philadelphia, she later moved West and graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. As a young lady she was a beauty contest finalist with many suitors, including Academy Award winner Joel Grey. Returning to Philadelphia, she married Al in 1959 and they spent over 60 years happily married and were blessed with three sons and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. While her greatest joy was being with her family, she also made her mark in leadership at Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, N.J. Among many other leadership roles there, she served as Temple President for five years, the first woman ever to do so. For her decades of service, she was the first recipient of Temple Emanuel's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Besides doting on her family, Shirley loved animals, golf, crosswords, MahJong, reading, and trips to the casino. Her class, style, kindness, and wonderful sense of humor will be dearly missed by her sons Rick (Laurie Chess), Mark (Jayne Chess), and Jay (Judy Chess, the late Sharon Chess), grandchildren Alice, Margaret, Gabe, Courtney, Rachel, Dylan, and Justin, great grandchildren Hassan, Abe, Maya, Lena, and Neel, and innumerable other family members, friends, and passing strangers with whom she shared her magic. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 6th, at Platt Memorial Chapels, 2001 Haddonfield-Berlin Rd, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. Visitation at 5 p.m., service at 5:30 p.m. The service will be live-streamed on YouTube, accessible by going to www.plattmemorial.com. Donations in Shirley's honor can be made to Congregation Kol Ami (formerly Temple Emanuel) in Cherry Hill, N. J., Samaritan Hospice Care, New Jersey, or the charity of your choice.