In Loving Memory, Shirley June Paukulis (1931-2025)

Shirley June Paukulis—a radiant, inspirational, and loving soul, was a living testament to the power of the human heart to heal and transform lives.

Shirley was born on June 18, 1931, in East Orange, New Jersey, to Laurence "Larry" Brigham June and Helen McFerren June, and raised in Maplewood with her brother, Richard, whom she adored. After earning her B.A. in Psychology and Art from Mount Holyoke College in 1953, she moved to the Boston area, where she began her career as Director of Creative Dance at the Boston YWCA.

That same year, Shirley was introduced to Visvaldis (Paul) Paukulis of Riga, Latvia, an architect, by a mutual friend who knew they shared a passion for dance. Although Paul danced formally while Shirley flowed to the music, they gradually taught each other the best of what they each had to offer, which turned out to be a winning combination. They married in 1955 and devoted themselves to supporting one another's careers while raising their three children. For more than two decades, Shirley and Paul taught and performed ballroom dancing and became well-known in the Boston area for their unique, elegant style, that (as described in an April 2, 1987, Lexington Minuteman article) "exudes a contagious love of dance" so evident that "they readily transmit their joy of this art form to their partners."

Naturally inspirational and generous, Shirley loved people and the arts of all kinds—including dance, theater, film, photography, painting, and poetry. During her six-decade career, she worked as an artist, choreographer, consultant, educator, therapist, founder, convener, director, writer, and performer. At the heart of all her work was her exceptional ability to connect people with each other and the arts to foster creativity, healing, transformation, and artistic, personal, and spiritual growth.

Early in her professional life, Shirley pioneered a dance therapy program for arthritic patients and later designed and led one of the first college-accredited courses in dance therapy at Boston University's Sargent College. She was among the founders of the Cambridge Montessori School and the Dance Circle of Boston, and she organized master classes in modern dance that brought the Martha Graham School to Boston-area institutions.

Shirley was deeply inspired by two mentors: Dr. Howard Thurman (spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) under whose guidance, in the late 1950s, she directed the Boston University Chapel Dance Choir in performing movement-based worship services; and renowned photographer, Minor White, whom she assisted in his Creative Audience courses at MIT in the early 1970s. Creative Audience—which centered on movement, perception, and the relationship between artist and audience—became foundational to her future work.

Later, in the 1980s, Shirley founded the Artists Collaborative Studio in Lexington, Massachusetts, as a center for performance, learning, and community engagement across all artistic disciplines. She organized workshops led by masters in various artistic fields, including acting, voice, and painting, cultivating experiences that were often astounding and sometimes life changing for her students.

With their children grown, Shirley and Paul moved to Bangkok, Thailand, for eight years in the 1990s. During that time, Shirley chronicled her travels in SAWADDI Magazine, a publication on Thai arts and culture, for the American Women's Club. She also promoted the traditional weaving arts of women and brought educational programs to village children, including "Bringing Books to Life" through movement as part of the Portable Libraries project. She developed close friendships with the Thai and Vietnamese people and initiated cross-cultural connections between Thai, Vietnamese, and U.S. artists, writers, and educators.

Returning to the United States in her late 60s, Shirley and Paul lived in North Egremont, Massachusetts, and then Agoura Hills, California. While in the Berkshires, she built a large "spiritual family" through her Women's Interfaith group and gatherings of people in creative and spiritual community. In California, she became a beloved member of groups studying and practicing the universalist teachings of the Inayatiyya Sufi Order, A Course in Miracles, and Native American ritual.

After losing Paul in 2014, Shirley settled in Arlington, Massachusetts, near her youngest daughter. Even as her body aged, her intellect, spirit, and love of people, community, and the arts remained strong. She formed close bonds with neighbors in her building, gracing the halls with her gentle, warm smile and sparkling eyes. She was in frequent touch with her many Massachusetts friends and maintained her West Coast connections through weekly Zoom sessions well into her last year of life.

Shirley was the heart of her family—a constant source of love, warmth, and guidance. She shared a special bond with her grandchildren, who adored her and delighted in her playful spirit. Through time spent creating, exploring, and simply being together, she passed on to them her enduring love of the arts and curiosity for the natural world.

Shirley passed away peacefully on December 23 at the age of 94, near her home in Arlington, Massachusetts. She was predeceased by her husband, Visvaldis Paukulis (d. 2014), and brother Richard June (d. 2009), and is survived by her children, John Paukulis of Agoura Hills, California (Amy Paukulis), Kristina Paukulis of New York City (Peter Galperin), Karena Paukulis of Arlington, Massachusetts (Scott Mullen), and four beautiful grandchildren, Julian Galperin, Ryan and Sara Paukulis, and Evelyn Paukulis-Mullen.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday January 24 at the Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Rd. Lexington at 12pm. Visitation immediately prior to the service from 11am to 12pm. Relatives and friends are kindly invited.

A Celebration of Life will be held in early summer (details and location to be announced).