Shirley Irene Holton
April 4, 1926 – February 17, 2024
Shirley Irene Holton, 97, Wildwood, Florida went home to the Lord on February 17, 2024 at her residence under the loving care of her daughter, Gail and granddaughters LeAndra and LaOra as well as the staff of Cornerstone Hospice.
Born April 4th, 1926 in Pontiac MI to Irene and Claude Coy. The first daughter and fourth child of the nine Coy siblings: Claude Edwin, Vernon William, Robert Lee, Shirley Irene, Richard James, Scott Fielding, Craig Franklyn, Claudette Rochelle, and James Denton.
Shirley was raised on the streets of Brightmoor in Detroit, Michigan. She played in the alleys next to speak easys with its hot and cold running gangsters, “The Purple Gang” and their fancy cars. The neighborhood represented every culture that housed a Oriental laundry, blind pig, speak easy, drug store, candy store, restaurant, theater, and grade school across the street named “Columbian” which she and her brothers attended. Mom had the honor of bringing home the “sometimes daily” notes from the teachers or principal to her parents about her wayward brothers who found life on the streets more adventurous then their daily attendance to higher learning. Her brothers were corner hawkers for daily newspapers and often found themselves in street fights for their corners.
Her father, Claude, was a jack of all trades with his beginnings as a farmer to eventually work with Henry Ford at the River Rouge plant. Her mother, Irene, was a private nurse assisting in local home births and hospital care. Irene also ran the local used furniture store out of the lower floor of their home while Claude would overhaul coal burning stoves in the family basement for extra money.
Shirley went on to marry Alvin L. Holton in November of 1942, followed her new husband and his Army orders, and waited for him to return home from the European theater in WWII. Together they produced three children Garry Leroy, Gregory Allan, and Gail Louise, eight grandchildren LeAndra Kissinger, Samuel Holton, Garrick Minor, LaOra Stewart, Sue Ann Curtis, Gregory Holton Jr, Joshua Holton and Benjamin Holton and 12 great children.
Shirley is survived by all but her siblings, husband Alvin, son Garry, and son Greg.
A Celebration of Life Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 10:00AM at Banks, Page – Theus Funeral Home Chapel, Wildwood, Florida with Burial to follow at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Florida with Pastor Tim Travis officiating. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
