Shirley Roesler Whitson, 90, of Virginia Beach, Va., passed away Tuesday, March 27, 2018.
Born Sept. 12, 1927, in Antigo, Wis., she was preceded in death by her loving husband of over 62 years, Lennie C. Whitson Jr.; parents, Arthur and Leona Roesler, and two sisters, Beatrice and June.
She retired from Norfolk City Public Schools as an educational secretary after 20 years. She earned her associate degree from Tidewater Community College and was a member of the National Association of Office Personnel and the local and state Association of Educational Secretaries.
Shirley was a devoted member of Trinity Lutheran Church, joining right after she moved to Virginia in 1945. She taught Sunday school for many years, was very active in church fellowship activities and held numerous leadership positions as a board member and a deacon of Trinity and the Lutheran Council of Tidewater.
Cherishing her memory, she leaves a very loving family including two daughters, Carole Whitson Brooks of Virginia Beach, Va., and Jill Anne Bailey of Norfolk, Va.; two granddaughters, Ashlynn Brooks Sawyer, and her husband, Rob, and Hayley Brooks Mathews, and her husband, Ryan; and five great-grandchildren.
Many friends, of all generations, will also fondly remember and celebrate Shirley for her wonderful sense of humor, her tenacity, her wit and her unwavering faith. She loved bringing people together, even in her final years as a resident of The Gardens of Virginia Beach, and was always the life of the party.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, April 2, at the Bayside Chapel of Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Virginia Beach. A celebration of life will be held 11 a.m., Tuesday, April 3, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Norfolk. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, 6001 Granby St., Norfolk, VA 23505.
Share online condolences with the family at hollomon-brown.com.
