Dr. Sigrid Elizabeth Myrdal

Feb. 15, 1943 — Aug. 28, 2025

Sigrid was born in Devils Lake, ND to Veta and Fred Myrdal. During her formative years, the family lived in Valley City, ND, and in Park River, ND. She graduated from Walsh County Agricultural School, Class of 1961. She excelled in science and math and also enjoyed an active social life; she loved going to pavilion dances of that era. While in college at UND, Grand Forks, she joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and was a member of the National Honors Society and a participant in the 4-year honors program while getting a professional chemistry degree. There, she met her future husband, Charles Shipley. Together they had three children. The family lived in Lincoln, NE; Savannah, GA; and Atlanta, GA.

Sigrid had a variety of interesting vocations in her life. In Nebraska, Sigrid worked for a while at a meat packing plant as a quality control chemist.  Later she served as a live-in house parent in a hostel to help developmentally disabled adults learn independent living skills. In Savannah, she worked as a quality control chemist in a paper mill. She then continued her education by getting a second bachelor degree, adding a biology degree while working and raising a young family. She earned her PhD in molecular biology at Emory University in Atlanta. Her career transferred her to Vancouver BC; Seattle WA; and finally Portland OR. Her field was generally in cancer research, and in the process of that work she helped develop new uses for tools like a confocal microscope. Sigrid has many accomplishments to her credit, including a number of published scientific articles.

Throughout her life, Sigrid loved learning and new ideas. She was a mentor, a friend and confidant, and as a mother, a grandmother, and aunt, she shared her knowledge, passions, lessons learned, and aspirations. After health issues necessitated early retirement, she put her creative energy into restoring her 1933 Tudor Revival style home in Portland. Stained glass, carpentry, and native landscaping were among her many passions. She also loved travel, scuba diving, skiing, reading, writing, speaking, music, cooking and entertaining. She cared deeply about civil rights and the environment, and she wanted to make a difference. She lived her life to its fullest.

Sigrid is survived by her daughter, Nellie (Mike) Sullivan, son Wil Shipley, granddaughters Katie Tomlinson, Jessie (Deja) Fitzgerald, step-grandsons Mike Jr. and Connor Sullivan, brother John (Linda) Myrdal, sister Susan (Randy) Myrdal, former husband Charles (Barb) Shipley, and by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her daughter Lara Fairchild, and by her parents.

Online tributes can be made at OmegaServices.com. A memorial service is planned in the spring in the historic Pioneer Cemetery in Gardar, ND, where she will be buried in the family plot near her parents. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Icelandic Roots (www.icelandicroots.com), a group dedicated to preserving and promoting Icelandic heritage, or the organization of your choice.