Shirley Marker Kaplan, age 87, passed away Thursday, July 8, 2021 at Sanctuary Grande in North Canton. She was born April 26, 1934, in Louisville to Theodore and Mabel (Miller) Marker.
Shirley was a graduate of Louisville High School. She worked for AT&T in customer service in both Canton and Colorado Springs, where she met her husband Leonard J. Kaplan. Shirley and Leonard married in 1961 and lived in Middletown NJ where they raised their two children and ran a successful dental practice. Shirley and her husband learned to sail in the mid-60s and enjoyed cruising the New England waters on their sailboat each summer. In 1983 they sold their dental practice and their house, moved abroad, and traveled for the next 13 years making many friends and exploring new places on the eastern seaboard as far south as South America. Once back on land, Shirley lived in South Florida and worked for Neiman Marcus in Ft. Lauderdale. She was an active member of Sailing Singles of South Florida and the Gulfstream Sailing Club until her health failed and she moved back to Ohio.
Mrs. Kaplan was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard J. Kaplan and her granddaughter Sydney M. Kaplan. She is survived by daughter, Laurie Anna Kaplan of Kirkland, Washington; son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Sarah Kaplan of Tiburon, California; grandchildren, Dylan Edlund, and Seth Edlund both of Kirkland, Washington. She was also preceded in death by sisters Wanda Frease, Faye Brower, Geraldine Swartz; and brothers, Donald Marker and Junior Marker.
In remembrance of Shirley’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to her tribute page for the Alzheimer's Association http://act.alz.org/goto/Shirley_Kaplan
Graveside services will be Sunday, July 18, 2021 12:00 p.m. at St. Jacobs Cemetery in North Canton with Celebrant Kevin O’Brien officiating.