Shirley Smith

Shirley M. Smith, 89, went home to be with her Lord on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

Born in Washington DC on January 12, 1932 to Pickett Lee and Anna Munday. Shirley came to Fort Lauderdale from Beaufort, SC as an 18-year-old newlywed with her husband, John. Together, they built and lived in three different homes in Broward County, raising their two daughters in the first home in Fort Lauderdale and their grandchildren in the last home in Plantation Acres.

Shirley was a lifelong seamstress, having made her own clothes since age 10. She made all of her family’s clothes, including her daughters’ wedding gown. When she worked outside of the home, she altered clothes in the fine dress shops: Frances Brewster, Ruth & Taylor and Lilli Rubin.

A lifelong Episcopalian; she was a longtime member of All Saints Episcopal Church for over fifty years, a member of the St. Monica’s Chapter of the ECW and in charge of the Episcopal Showcase for many years. Shirley loved crafts and cooking for her family. It was always about family with Shirley and Johnnie!

In 2004, after 53 years of marriage, Shirley lost her husband to lung and brain cancer. Tragically, in 2012, she lost her grandson, Justin Crouse, to a car accident. She was devastated by his death and the tragic event is believed to have triggered her dementia into action. Shirley moved into Covenant Village of Florida in 2015, living independently until 2018, when she moved into the Memory Care Assisted Living section of Covenant Village.

Shirley is survived by her daughter, Dianne Sullivan and her partner Max Smith, and devoted daughter and caregiver, Terry Tipton and her husband Steve; granddaughter Heather Crouse; great-granddaughter, Jada Crouse; three sisters-in-law, Miriam Zeigler, Betty Smith, and Jolene Mundie, and many nieces and nephews.  She is preceded in death by her husband, John Smith; grandson, Justin Crouse, and brother, David Mundie.

Visitation will be Monday, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, T. M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home.  Requiem Mass will be Tuesday, 11:00 AM, All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Interment immediately following in Lauderdale Memorial Park. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Shirley’s favorite charity, Habitat for Humanity @Habitat.org