We are very sad to share the news of the recent passing of Mrs Shirley Quemby.
Throughout her life Shirley was an amazing advocate for people who have Down’s syndrome and a long standing supporter of the DSA.
She wrote a powerful piece about the earliest days of the DSA and her experiences as a parent for our Memories & Stories exhibition, which you can read here.
She was one of the founders of DownSyndromeOK and Kathy Maillet, the current Chair of the local support group, has written this tribute:
Shirley was a founding member of the first branch of the Down’s Syndrome Association outside Birmingham.
In the early 1970s, at a time when people with Down’s syndrome were often placed in long stay hospitals at, or soon after birth, her son Roger was born. She set about developing his skills and enabling him to fulfil his potential.
Shirley was part of my childhood, as my mother owned a bookshop in Cheam where Shirley lived and Shirley was a regular customer. I remember her riding her tandem into the village with Roger perched on the back! As a teenager I taught Roger French for a while and was an occasional babysitter.
Shirley talked to schools and attended information fairs to spread the good news that people with Down’s syndrome could learn and develop well. She also manned a helpline. This was all at a time when people with Down’s syndrome did not even have the right to an education.
In 2021 Shirley was rightly awarded the British Empire Medal for services to people with disabilities. Accompanied by Roger, she proudly collected her award at Westminster Abbey.
The Down’s syndrome community has lost one of its greater characters. But time turns full circle as we are proud to say that Roger Quemby is now a trustee of DownsyndromeOK.