Eileen Shirley, age 86, of North Platte, Nebraska passed away at Great Plains Health on April 5, 2021.
Eileen was born March 31, 1935, to Harold and Dorothea (Loghry) Dodson
on the family farm near Maywood, Nebraska. She grew up in the Maywood area and graduated from high school, the Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis, in 1952.
On August 9, 1953, Eileen married Vernon Manley 'Sonny' Shirley at
Curtis, Nebraska and they lived on the farm south of town and farmed until 1962 when they moved into Curtis. They had four children, Kent, Douglas, Denise and Deanna, and when Denise was baptized they too were baptized into the Methodist Church at Curtis. Sonny and Eileen were together for nearly 64 years when he died in 2017.
In 1967, the Shirley family moved to North Platte, Nebraska and Eileen went to work for the North Platte Public Schools in the cafeteria. She became the manager at Madison Junior High and the north side elementary grade schools, after 17 years as manager and 22 years in the system, Eileen retired in the early '80's.
Eileen used to do lots of gardening and canning when they lived on
Shirley Road. She loved baking and decorating cakes for birthdays,
weddings, anniversaries and other occasions then enjoyed delivering them.
Sonny and Eileen loved being together, dancing, camping and fishing, and she could out-fish Sonny any day. They were active, longtime members of the Elks Lodge #985, Winter Dance Club, and First United Methodist Church and volunteered for R.S.V.P. Eileen was also a member of Does Drove #103, where she served as chaplain for a few years, and AARP.
Along with her husband, Eileen was preceded in death by their son, Doug;
her sister, Phyllis and husband, Bud Mayfield; brother, Duane Dodson;
sons-in-law, Chris Nelsen and Russell Smiley; and her parents, Harold
and Dorothea Dodson.
Eileen is survived by her children, Kent (Christy) Shirley of North
Platte, Nebraska, Denise (Ryne) Norton of Curtis, Nebraska and Deanna (Stuart Nicholas) MacMillan of Omaha, Nebraska; grandchildren, Brian (Chelsea) Reese, Jennifer (James) Snook, Tyler Reese, Kane (Ann) Shirley, Aspen Shirley, Jeremiah (Matisse) Klatt, Ethan Norton, Evan (Hollie) Norton, and Jesse, Nicholas, Jordan, Johna MacMillan; great-grandchildren, Ciara MacMillan, Jacoby, Jacek and Jiles Snook, Batie and Crea Reese, Korbin and Krew Shirley, and Marek Klatt; sister-in-law, Beverly Dodson of Maywood, Nebraska; and many other family members.
Funeral service will be 10 a.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021, at First
United Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Douglas A. Delp officiating.
Burial will follow in the Maywood Cemetery. Visitation is 1-6 p.m.
Sunday with family greeting from 4-6 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel at C
& Sycamore in North Platte, which is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the Maywood Cemetery.