Shirley E. (Essa) Ganem

Shirley E. Ganem, 91, passed away on August 1, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Geneva, New York to Mary and Salim Essa, hardworking Syrian immigrants who embodied the American dream. Shirley graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo, the first in her family to graduate from college, and received her master's degree in Speech Pathology from The Ohio State University.

Following graduation, Shirley worked with developmentally disabled children in Columbus, Ohio, beginning a professional life centered on helping others that spanned more than 60 years. In 1960, Shirley traveled to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon at the invitation of those governments to Arab-American professionals. There she met the love of her life, Philip J. Ganem, the best dancer on the trip; he saved all the slow dances for her. They married months later and she joined Philip in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire where he was building his legal practice.

Shirley quickly came to weave herself into the fabric of the Wolfeboro community. She dedicated herself to community service, but also pushed open doors previously closed to women. Shirley was active in Democratic Party politics, serving as the Carroll County Democratic Party Chairperson in the 1970s and as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention during this same period. She was active in the fight for equal treatment for women and the push for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). One of her greatest disappointments was America’s failure to ratify the ERA. She was prophetic in her fear that its failure would lead to an erosion of women’s bodily autonomy and the loss of hard-fought political rights.

Shirley spent her life in public service. For more than a decade, she served as the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Task Force for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. She also served on the New Hampshire State Board of Education, and for many years was Chairman of the Board of the Wolfeboro Area Children’s Center. But, the decades she spent in service to the town of Wolfeboro were the greatest source of pride for her. Shirley was an active member of the Wolfeboro Planning Board, the Wolfeboro Economic Development Council, and the Dinner Bell. She spent more than 25 years as an elected official on the Board of Selectmen, many of those as Chairman. Shirley believed local government was an important pillar of American democracy and relished her time as a public servant.

Shirley was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Philip, as well as her siblings: George Abraham, Mitchell Abraham, Nancy (Essa) Pinkney, Genevieve Essa, and Evelyn (Essa) Zakour. Her sister, Barbara Essa, followed Shirley on August 3rd.

She is mourned by her three children, Mitchell, Lawrence and Jennifer, as well as their spouses, Sigrid Johannessen, Lisa Terry and Dan Gilligan, and her six grandchildren - Jackson, Kalie, Mae, Ella, Colin and Ruby, who are all committed to her progressive politics and her legendary parties.

A proud Democrat and tireless advocate for the underrepresented and those in need, Shirley would prefer that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Emily’s List (Emily's List) or the Wolfeboro Warmth and More Fund (Wolfeboro Warmth and More Fund).

A celebration of Shirley's grand life will be held on Saturday September 30, 2023 at 1:00 pm at the Wolfeboro Town Hall located at 84 South Main Street Wolfeboro, NH. All will be welcome to join us. One last Shirley Ganem gathering to follow at her home located at 168 South Main Street in Wolfeboro, NH.

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