Sherali Brinn-Jennings

Shirley Brinn-Jennings, 90, born on September 2, 1931, passed away May 21, 2022. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Cathedral City, California.

Sherali was born in Brooklyn New York. Her parents immigrated to the US from Lithuania, and she was always proud of her Lithuanian heritage. She had two older brothers, Marvin, and Murray whom she adored. She received a master's degree from Northwestern University in Chicago and worked for many years with her family in their Commercial Real Estate Firm until she came to California where she modeled and acted.

Sherali had several passions in life. Politics, fashion, animals and Alcoholics Anonymous. She also loved love. She was married 5 times. Those relationships gave her a daughter and a stepson both of which passed away as young adults, but they were forever in her heart.

Sherali's sober journey began in 1975 when she came to AA at the Radford Group in North Hollywood. In 1980, Sherali asked Clancy Imislund to be her sponsor, which in her own words was a choice that changed her life forever. She became very active in AA and was of service for the San Fernando Valley Convention, as well as the Southern California Convention which both she eventually went on to chair.

Early in Sobriety she met Frank Dean, a long-time friend who was like a brother to her. After the loss of her last husband John Jennings, Sherali and Frank moved to the Coachella Valley. It was there she met her last love Glenville "Glen" Loyster. She, Frank, and Glen lived together until Glen's passing in 2006 and Frank's passing in 2008. They all were very active in Alcoholics Anonymous in the Coachella valley and made many contributions to our community.

Aside from sponsoring the many women in her life and promoting AA's 12 Traditions, she was very involved in the local AA Community. She started several AA meetings, was active on the Central Intergroup Board, and actively helped with the yearly Gratitude Dinner for Central Intergroup. She also served on the AA Women's Banquet Committee for several years. The AA Community was her life. She met weekly with her close lady friends, hosted an annual holiday party with sponsees and was known for the huge sober party she through annually on New Year's Day.

While she was active in many areas, anyone who knew her knows that her proudest accomplishment was the Desert Pow Wow Convention (that rooted from the former Palm Springs Roundup). Sherali became Chair of the AA Desert Pow Wow in 1995 and continued to serve as Chair for 25 years until her health began failing in 2020. Sherali built the Pow Wow to what we enjoy today. She wanted every attendee to feel like a personal guest of hers and she never overlooked any details. We have much to thank Sherali for, through her devotion and passion for Alcoholics Anonymous and her devoted service
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Sherali was one of a kind. She was fierce, loving, stern and caring and her friends were her family. She will be greatly missed.