Shirley Mcarthur
Age - 78
November 21, 2023
Shirley McArthur of Clinton, NC passed away peacefully on November 20, 2023 at the age of 78. Shirley was born in Layfette, Indiana July 6, 1945 to the late Robert and Elsie Merson. For the first few years of life, she was loved and taken care of by her aunt and uncle in Layfette, Indiana after the sudden death of her mother during child birth. At the age of three, Shirley moved to live with her father, a Navy submarine sailor and the woman she called "Mother", Catherine Merson. She lived in several places and always finding a way to attend a local church where she could walk if needed to attend services. Shirley was a doting older sister to her three siblings, Robert, James, and Judy who she loved and adored. During her early high school years, she attended Cocoa High School where she was a member of the marching band and marched in the Orange Bowl. And it was at Cocoa High School where she met the love of her life, Tommy McArthur. The two sweethearts parted during her senior year of high school when Shirley's family moved to Key West, Florida where she graduated from Key West High School. Excited to start their lives together, Shirley and Tommy were wed on July 27, 1963 at the Fleming Street Methodist Church in Key West, Florida. Upon marriage, she made it clear to Tommy that they would attend church. The young couple moved to Cocoa, Florida and on December 11, 1964 the second love of her life, Jerry, was born. The young family moved to High Point, NC in February of 1967 and on December 23, 1967, their daughter, Anne, was born, who humorously, constantly pushed her mother's limits. Shirley was a loving wife and mother. She loved to bake and cook; from her canned jams and jellies, to delicious Cuban recipes learned living in Key West, Florida (a chicken and yellow rice and black beans served with traditional Cuban bread being a signature favorite), to her delicious desserts including a 7-Up cake always available when her son-in-law arrived for a visit! Shirley volunteered at the elementary school as a reading tutor and she was an incredible seamstress who made dresses, shirts, aprons, and Halloween costumes yearly for her two children. Her other pleasures in life included singing in the church choir, and teaching Sunday school at the First Reformed United Church of Christ, being a cub scout leader, reading Harlequin Romance novels, and most of all being the wife of a firefighter who worked 24-hour shifts, while she maintained an immaculate home and cared for her two young children while he was away. Shirley loved to travel with her family which included many rich and happy memories from their annual trips to Key West, Florida visiting family and friends. She loved taking her children to Walt Disney World and finding ways to teach them the importance of family and spending time together. After her children were middle school and high school, Shirley worked as an office manager for 20 years at Resource Systems in Clemons, NC. And continued to be a supportive wife and mother attending all of her children's sporting events. In 1996, after Tommy's retirement from the High Point Fire Department, she and Tommy built a house on family property in Clinton, NC where she became an active member at Mount Moriah United Methodist Church, gardened, and spent her life with her best friend, her husband, Tommy. She continued to travel to many of her favorite places - Key West, Hawaii, and the NC beaches as well as spending fun outings with her sister-in-law, Linda. Shirley was so very proud of her son and his wife for raising her five grandsons, Aidan, Patrick, Owen, Danny, and Michael. She was very happy with, and so proud of all of her grandsons and their accomplishments. She adored and loved each one in a special way and loved to tell others about them. She was also a grandmother to three shared grand-children who she also loved and adored, Molly, Samuel, and Maggie. Shirley's health began to decline somewhat in her sixties, but she never complained. Through illness and disease increased and became more debilitating in her seventies, she remained a loving wife, mother, and grand-mother and continued to travel and be a part of her loving church community. She was a shining example of living a life through her faith and loving the people in her life by supporting them and allowing them to follow their own paths. Parkinson's disease claimed her mobility but until the very end, she walked into church with her Tommy by her side. Shirley in her subtle ways made us laugh, and she made us smile. In our grief, we still see the joy - her joy in the things that mattered to her - family and church and how she could bring peace and comfort to those around her and go fearless into her death still guiding the peace until the end. She was preceded in death by her mother, Elsie Merson, father, Robert I. Merson, and the woman she called "mother", Catherine Merson, her brother, Robert Merson and brother James Merson. She is survived by her husband of 60-years, Tommy McArthur, sister, Judy Johnson and husband Tommy of Minneapolis, MN, son, Jerry McArthur and his wife, Deirdre Hamill McArthur of Greensboro, NC, daughter, Anne Jobe and husband, Jim Jobe of Franklin, NC. Eight grand-children and two joyful, great-grand-children. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Linda Parker of Clinton, NC and sister-in-law, Robbie McArthur of Provo, Utah and brother-in-laws, Doug (Barbara) of Plano, TX, and Bennie McArthur (Chris) of Cocoa, FL, and numerous nieces and nephews and many loving church members and friends at Mount Moriah United Methodist Church. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 25 at Mount Moriah United Methodist Church in Clinton, NC at 11:00a. m. officiated by Pastor Andy Wood. Family visitation prior to funeral starting at 10:00a. m. A private family ceremony will take place later. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Clinton Hospice or Mt. Moriah Methodist Church. Condolences may be left at www. butlerfh. com.Show more
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