Shirley Jean Waskilewicz
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of former employee Shirley Jean Waskilewicz of Brooksville, Maine, formerly of East Falmouth, on January 12, 2026, in Machias, Maine, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 79.
Born at Lawrence General Hospital to Shirley (Bonney) and Leonard Waskilewicz, she was a graduate of Woodbury High School in Salem, New Hampshire, and Becker Junior College in Massachusetts.
After graduation, she worked for a number of law offices in the Boston area, attended the Woodstock concert and traveled extensively on her own. Known for being a free spirit, her time abroad included a summer in England, a stay in Morocco and a summer on Martha’s Vineyard, where she watched the filming of the movie “Jaws.”
Shirley began her career at WHOI in 1975 as a secretary under Betty Bunce. During her 26-year career, she worked in various departments, including Personnel, Physical Oceanography (where she became a Lab Assistant) and the Biology Department. She left WHOI in 1979 and was rehired in 1996 as a Staff Assistant in the G&G Department. She eventually left WHOI in 1991. Shirley also worked at Webb Research. During her various careers, she worked hard and purchased a parcel of land on Spectacle Pond in Hatchville, where she designed and had her home built.
She met Fred Bull on a birding hike and they later married. Their shared love of the outdoors spurred their interest in starting a canoe and kayak tour business, where they hosted guided excursions throughout Cape Cod. They co-authored “Paddling Cape Cod,” the region’s first paddling guide of the rivers, marshes, ponds, and shoreline of Cape Cod.
In 2001, they moved to Maine, where they bought property in Brooksville. On their property, they built two cottages and a small restaurant. For 16 years, they successfully ran Sunrise Cottages and Breakfast Shed B&B. During the colder winter months, they traveled extensively throughout Central and South America, obtaining residency status in both Costa Rica and Ecuador.
COVID-19 put an end to their travels, and afterward, she was diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson’s. Known for her bravery and determination, she fought the disease, but at the beginning of 2025, she began a decline.
A weaver and stained-glass artist, her work was a fixture in both her home in Hatchville and in their home in Brooksville.
In addition to her husband, she leaves her brother, Doug Walsh of Harwich; a niece; two great-nieces and two great-nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Allen Waskilewicz.
Per her wishes, her ashes will eventually be brought back to Cape Cod to be dispersed.
Information for this obituary is from the Falmouth Enterprise