At the age of 8, Shirley Lerda was singing popular tunes in the bars and clubs owned by or connected to her father, "Daddy Howard" Ours of the North Side.

She made weekly appearances on KDKA-Radio's "Starlets on Parade," and as she grew older she recorded jingles for KDKA and sang with several big band groups.

At 16, while singing at The Grove in Castle Shannon, she met a young corporal who served in World War II and with whom she would settle down to raise a family. But her children said she never stopped singing.

"Her nickname was 'chirpy,'" said her youngest son, John B. Lerda of South Fayette. "The school bus would be coming and she'd break out in a tune. We'd be ready to go, but she had to finish her song before she'd hand us our lunch and send us on our way."

Shirley M. Lerda of Beechview died on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009, at UPMC Mercy, Uptown. She was 76.

Born in Troy Hill on Feb. 24, 1932, she had a family that was quite comfortable despite the Depression. Her father was part-owner of the "original" Shamrock Bar in the North Side, said her son, Sam Lerda of Wexford.

Her mother and sister enrolled her in singing lessons, and she was soon performing on "Starlets on Parade," Betty Dugan's program showcasing young singers. She followed up with live performances, where her good looks allowed her to sing with big bands around the city, Sam Lerda said.

She attended Oliver High School until her senior year, when she met John R. Lerda. She came from Scots-Irish West Virginian Methodists and Lerda was the son of Italian Catholic immigrants. They were married in 1948.

Mrs. Lerda began helping her husband run his businesses, first a contracting company and then the Starlight Lanes bowling alley in Dormont. She still sang professionally from time to time, recording a KDKA jingle and a song for the Country Belle Dairy in Carnegie, Sam Lerda said.

She bowled on Mondays with the women's league and Fridays with her husband in a couple's league, and would often go out with other league members to party and dance afterward.

"She would grab my father, and I just remember her leading him through all these dance moves while all the other couples stood back in amazement," Sam Lerda said.

Her father remained a larger-than-life figure to the family, John B. Lerda said, getting people to bet he couldn't tear a phone book in half by using his friends and family in the set-up. When he tore the book easily, Mrs. Lerda would just laugh and shake her head, her son said.

In addition to her sons Sam and John, Mrs. Lerda is survived by her husband, John R. Lerda; son, Howard Lerda of Mt. Washington; daughter, Cheryl Panza of Green Tree; and 10 grandchildren.

Visitation will be at the Brusco-Falvo Funeral Home in Mt. Washington from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and Wednesday. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church.

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