Shirley Smith once told her children that she would have loved to work in an airport.  They were at Dulles International Airport, where she was dropping off one of her children for some misadventure that she herself never got to experience.  There was something about the hustle and bustle of an airport that Shirley loved. The comings, the goings.  The sense of purpose.  The independence.  The reunions.

Reunions will now take a different form.  Shirley died on March 24, 2022 as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease.  She loved God, her family, and Elvis.  She expressed unabashed glee when her favorite teams scored.  She was amazing at doing math in her head.  She loved lazy days right before Christmas, lightly singing along to Christmas carols while she made enough scrumptious peanut butter balls to feed a small army.

Shirley was born on December 16, 1935 in Shifflett Hollow in Greene County. Following a three-year sojourn in Baltimore during World War II while her father worked in the shipyards, Shirley moved to Augusta County with her parents, Elmer and Lucille, and her brother, Elmer (Junior), and later graduated from Waynesboro High School. She worked for many years at Crompton Corporation and was a long-time, dedicated member of the choir at Second Presbyterian Church.

Shirley was independent, determined, and tough.  But, more than any of that, she was kind.  She saw the good in everyone.  She was loved and will be missed deeply.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 62 years, Albert, their three children, Michelle, Stephanie (Stephen) Bolton, and Eric (Eileen) Smith, and seven grandchildren - Ian Bolton (18), Jack Smith (15), Caroline Bolton (14), Eleanor Smith (13), Louisa Smith (11), Wade Smith (7), and Daisy Smith (5), and was predeceased by her beloved grandson, Conrad Smith.

There will be a visitation for family and friends at McDow Funeral Home, 1701 West Main Street, Waynesboro, Virginia 22980 from 4:00 - 5:30p on Sunday, March 27. Shirley's funeral will take place at St. John's Episcopal Church, 473 South Wayne Avenue, Waynesboro, Virginia 22980 at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 28. In lieu of flowers, anyone so inclined is encouraged to donate to a scholarship fund honoring Shirley's deceased grandson by mailing a check to the Conrad Burkhalter Smith Scholarship Fund, c/o VMI Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450 or visit vmialumni.org/give and indicate that the donation is to the Conrad Burkhalter Smith Scholarship.