Eileen Shirley

E ileen S hirley, age 86, of North Platte, passed away at Great Plains Health on April 5, 2021.

Eileen was born March 31, 1935, to Harold and Dorothea Dodson on the family farm near Maywood. She grew up in the Maywood area and graduated from high school, Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis, in 1952.

On August 9, 1953, Eileen married Vernon 'Sonny' Shirley at Curtis and they lived on the farm south of town and farmed until 1962 when they moved into Curtis. They had four children, Kent, Douglas, Denise and Deanna, and when Denise was baptized they too were baptized into the Methodist Church at Curtis. Sonny and Eileen were together for nearly 64 years when he died in 2017.

In 1967 the Shirley family moved to North Platte and Eileen went to work for the North Platte Public Schools in the cafeteria. She became the manager at Madison Junior High and the north side elementary grade schools, after 17 years as manager and 22 years in the system, Eileen retired in the early '80's.

Eileen use to do lots of gardening and canning when they lived on Shirley Road. She loved baking and decorating cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other occasions then enjoyed delivering them.

Sonny and Eileen enjoyed being together, dancing, camping and fishing, and she could out-fish Sonny any day. They were active, longtime members of the Elks Lodge #985, Winter Dance Club, and First United Methodist Church and volunteered for R.S.V.P. Eileen was also a member of Does Drove #103, where she served as chaplain for a few years, and AARP.

Along with her husband, Eileen was preceded in death by their son, Doug; her sister, Phyllis and husband, Bud Mayfield; brother Duane Dodson; sons-in-law, Chris Nelsen and Russell Smiley; and her parents, Harold and Dorothea Dodson.

Eileen is survived by her children, Kent (Christy) Shirley, of North Platte, Denise (Ryne) Norton, of Curtis and Deanna (Stuart Nicholas) MacMillan, of Omaha; grandchildren, Brian (Chelsea) Reese, Jennifer (James) Snook, Tyler Reese, Kane (Ann) Shirley, Aspen Shirley, Jeremiah (Matisse) Klatt, Ethan Norton, Evan (Hollie) Norton, and Jesse, Nicholas, Jordan and Johna MacMillan; great-grandchildren, Jacoby, Jacek and Jiles Snook, Batie and Crea Reese, Korbin and Krew Shirley, Marek Klatt, and Ciara MacMillan; sister-in-law, Beverly Dodson, of Maywood; and many other family members.

Funeral service will be 10 a.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021, at First United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Maywood Cemetery. Visitation will be 1- 6 p.m. Sunday with family greeting from 4-6 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the Maywood Cemetery.