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I just was told that Dick Thrall had passed it is so sad that his wife Shirley had passed, Dick called me the night before she died and wanted me to know that she might not make it through the night, it was late and I can not drive at night so I got up early daylight and told him I was on my way when I got there Dick was sitting by her bed and she had just passed, and he gave me some time to be with her, a great friend since 1980 maybe or earlier it was when Multi Media moved to Nashville, He was the producer of Music City News award Show, I think that was the name of it Pamela Phillips Repp can give you all the details. While working on Louis Mandrell's special Dick came up and introduced himself as the producer and said I love your work and would you do my wife's hair? I had been in the business for a while and this was the first producer, that complimented me for my work. Well, I think he might have regretted that we met cause we were hell on wheels and shopping. I had my salon in Hendersonville "He & She" and I talked to them to move to the lake and I lived on the lake. Then I moved to Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel and opened up Demith @Vanderbilt Plaza. First Day Spa in Nashville. When Multi-Media moved Dick to New York and rented their lake house it was very sad to me. Since I took her to New York the first time she had ever been there. My client Mrs. Jack C. Massey's had a business trip planned and I was supposed to go with her sister. Her sister could not go last minute and she asked me if I wanted to take a friend, so I asked Shirley. I always sat up front in the plane by the pilots and Mrs. Massey sat in the back, but Shirley liked to talk and she went back and sat next to Mrs. Massey. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and had a blast when on the ferry, bus all the way and she talked to all the New Yorkers on the bus by the time we got to the ferry they were all giving us a tour. Russian Tea room, took a cab to the Bronx to go shopping at a place that had designer clothes at a discount. We separated and I went through 4 flours in one hour and went to meet Shirley and she was not there and I heard a bunch of laughter in the dressing room and it was one big room full of women half naked and there is Shirley having a great time and had not gone past the first floor. That was Shirley shop till you drop. The last night we went to the theater and dinner and was taking the elevator upstairs and got into the elevator and there was one man on it looking down with a ball hat on Shirley screams DAVID LETTERMAN!! and he looks up at Shirley and yells at her that she should not be wearing all her diamonds and gold in New York. Dick had to write a letter to David saying the redhead that he met in the elevator was his wife and he was sorry. Thanks Dick and Shirley for the good times.
Glad to say I was Shirley & Dicks hairdresser for 40 plus-minus New York
RIP,
Linda DeMith