Wife of man who helped start up Sahara hotel dies at age 94

Shirlee Schivo, the wife of Frank Schivo, who helped open the Sahara, died Nov. 1 in Newport Beach, California.

She was 94.

Shirlee Schivo was born Shirlee LeVelle Anderson on April 22, 1923, in Los Angeles. She came to Las Vegas in 1946. In 1950, she married Frank Schivo, who had been tapped by gaming pioneer Milton Prell to help open Club Bingo and, in October 1952, the Sahara.

Prell had worked with Frank Schivo at the 30 Club in Butte, Montana.

Shirlee Schivo’s son, concert promoter and producer Michael Schivo, remembered his mother as gracious, kind and genuine. He said she was a steady adviser and work partner for his father, helping arrange meetings, promote the hotel, decorate spaces and serve customers.

“She may not have been writing checks, but she served in a big advisory capacity. She was a catalyst behind Father,” he said. “She had such common sense. As time went on, all the principals came to love her and listen to her. She had a way of having to ask someone something only once.”

Michael Schivo remembered how, before his parents met, his mother worked for Benjamin Siegel (also known as Bugsy) at the Flamingo. Michael Schivo said his mother told him how Siegel’s girlfriend, Virginia Hill, chose her to be the only person allowed to serve Siegel drinks. Schivo said Hill chose his mother for the task because she liked and trusted her.

Frank Schivo, his son said, was the antithesis of the aloof casino owner. He greeted Sahara visitors with a smile. His mother joined in, creating a welcoming, family-style atmosphere that kept patrons coming to the Sahara.

Janeen Reiser, Shirlee Schivo’s daughter, remembered her mother’s magnanimity.

“Once you met Shirlee, you never forgot her,” Reiser said by email. “My mom had this innate ability to make people feel loved and cared about. She took a personal interest in you. She made friends with complete strangers within a matter of minutes!”

Las Vegan Adrienne Glusman remembered how Shirlee Schivo, whom she met in the 1960s, helped shape the early Sahara’s decor.

“When the rooms had to be refurbished, she saw to it,” Glusman said. “She was very good at decorating. She chose the furniture and the pictures and the colors.”

Michael Schivo said his mother’s nurturing extended beyond her business duties. In the 1980s, she helped in a friend’s AIDS clinic in Dallas, he said. In the 1960s, she regularly went to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center to visit a Las Vegas girl who was fighting leukemia. The visits lasted until the girl died, he said.

“This young girl was, in the beginning, a total stranger to my mom,” he said. “She helped her transition.”

Shirlee Schivo is survived by her daughter, Janeen Reiser; her sons, Michael Schivo and Gary Schivo; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Contact Matthew Crowley at mcrowley@reviewjournal.com. Follow @copyjockey on Twitter.