Shirley A. Morrison

Shirley A. Morrison was a woman rich in the things that count in life: a strong work ethic, a devout faith, and above all, an unconditional love for her family. She worked hard throughout her life, and with faith as her guide, she persevered through trials that came her way, remaining true to the joy that was in her heart. Shirley’s true home was wherever her family was; she cherished them with all her heart, caring for them in times of need and celebrating with them in times of joy. Those who knew and loved Shirley have so many wonderful memories that will never be forgotten.

Shirley was born on July 25, 1924, in Hagerstown, Indiana to proud parents, Russel C. and Edith M. (Stoops) Fudge. She was the fourth of six children: Erma, Everett, Thelma, Shirley, Gloria and Marvin. Shirley enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in the rural community of Williamsburg, Indiana. She grew up with an appreciation for hard work, spending eight summers on her aunt and uncle’s farm, learning to paint, care for the animals and drive a tractor. Shirley was a very bright girl, especially when it came to vocabulary. Her favorite subject in school was spelling, and once when she got an “embarrassing” 97% on her spelling test (rather than her typical 100), she threw the paper out the bus window on the way home. Although Shirley may not have made any more “spelling” mistakes, she did run into some trouble one night as a teenager when she took her Dad’s car out for a joy ride. When she went to park the car back in the garage, it somehow got smaller, resulting in a fender bender. Shirley did “pay” for that mistake literally as her allowance then went to the repair bill.

While in high school, Shirley became good friends with Thelma Greathouse, and it was through her that Shirley became a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene, and a devout Christian. Shirley graduated from Williamsburg High School in 1942; she was one of fourteen in her senior class. Soon after, Shirley began dating Russell J. Morrison, who she knew since the 5th grade; he was the kid with glasses who would rather tinker with cars than play ball. When Russ was away in the military during World War II, Shirley wrote to him as often as possible, always signing her letters “I love you as much as I ever did, if I ever did.” Once home, Russ wasted no time in asking Shirley to marry him - he took her up on a hill in Glen Miller Park and popped the question. Her answers of course of “yes”, with one stipulation – that Russ become a Christian before they married. On June 28, 1947, Shirley and Russ were happily married in the Church of Nazarene. Because her father had already passed away, her Uncle Paul Hunt, who owned the farm she grew up on, walked her down the aisle. No wedding goes off without a hitch, and as Shirley was going up the stairs, she stepped on her dress and ripped a seam – it did not ruin her beautiful day though.

As the newlyweds settled into married life together, Shirley worked at the county clerk’s office while Russ went to school at Purdue. In time, they became the proud parents of three children: Stephen, David and Elaine. Shirley and Russ’s roles then changed, and as Shirley put it she “majored in minors – rearing 3 children.” As her kids got older, she enjoyed volunteering as the church secretary, and also ran the small post office at the Holiness Camp in Lakeland, Florida. Time together as a family was always important to Shirley and Russ, and every summer they packed the kids up and drove to visit relatives around the country. Shirley kept a travel diary of every trip, and loved to reminisce with them in later years. Being the wordsmith that she was, Shirley once wrote a poem for a contest and won the grand prize – a boat and motor. The poem went like this “Shopper’s Fair deserves a bouquet of flowers for the convenience of their hours, not only that, but here’s more proof, discount prices, and all under one roof.” They spent many memorable summers on the boat cruising around Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River. Shirley and Russ also enjoyed vacationing with their good friends, Ralph and Juanita Billow, sometimes with their kids (7 combined) and sometimes without, but always with a couple of fishing poles. On one fishing trip to Canada, the fish were biting so much they only had to use candy wrappers as bait.

Shirley had many talents, and in addition to writing, she loved to bake and decorate cakes of all shapes and sizes. Her family said baking was more her forte, rather than cooking, and her delicious desserts were a testament to that. The big debate was always whether Shirley should make blueberry or cherry delight! One of Shirley’s greatest passions was for painting. A skill honed at a young age, she painted so much on the farm, anything from fences and the barn to the hen houses. She saved all her hard earned money that summer and bought her own bicycle. As a couple, Shirley and Russ loved to volunteer for mission work and had been on about 34 trips. Her painting skills came in handy on these trips, though she was always a bit apprehension when they asked her to paint the mahogany window and door trim. Shirley wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and worked right along side of her husband Russ when he did electrical work. It was said Shirley was more comfortable with a hammer and hat, then an apron and lace. At home on Indian Lake, Shirley was usually the one out mowing the lawn because she absolutely loved riding the tractor. But then, she loved driving just about anything with a motor. On the Fourth of July, Shirley would decorate her golf cart for the parade and throw candy to the kids lining the route.

Shirley immensely disliked her middle name, and her children were never allowed to tell anyone what it was. Yet, some could say that “fun” was her middle name, for Shirley liked to have fun. She jumped out of the hay barn, climbed a flagpole, posed for a picture with a “Curves Ahead” sign and had her husband Russ put an “oogah” horn on her car, which came with her from vehicle to vehicle over the years, and in the end, landed on the golf cart. She also had fun over the years as a prankster. Shirley put happy faces on tampons and put them in Russ’s tackle box, and saran wrapped toilets. Being a baker, she was known to make “popcorn cakes”, which were popcorn balls in an angel food pan and iced to look like a real cake. However, when cut into by the “honoree” it was rock hard. There were plenty of laughs when Shirley was around!

When it came to her quieter moments, Shirley loved to sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in on Lake Michigan. This magnificent sight always reminded her that “God had made everything beautiful.” She often reflected on her favorite Bible verse – Galatians 2:20, and found great comfort in its meaning. Sitting in heaven’s garden watching over her family, Shirley will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.