Shirley Ann Brown

Shirley Ann Bullock Brown, 87, of Ottumwa, Iowa died April 27, 2018 at Good Samaritan Nursing Home, Ottumwa.

She was born November 13, 1930 in Centennial Bottoms in rural Ray County, Missouri to Henry Arvel and Freda May Johnson Bullock. She attended grade schools in Ray County and graduated from Orrick High School in 1948. After graduation she worked at 13th St. CO-OP in Kansas City until July 1951. She became a full-time homemaker in the truest since of the word, raising their five boys and helping her husband on the farm and with the seed corn business. She went to work for Wal-Mart for several years after the boys had grown up.

Shirley married the love of her life, George A. Brown, December 16, 1950 at the Baptist Church in Orrick. He preceded her in death October 17, 2008 after nearly 58 years of marriage.

She attended and was active in church all her life. Shirley made a public confession of faith at the age of 9 years and was baptized in Sunshine Lake. It was common to find scriptures and notes on small slips of paper in her Bible, on a table or in her purse. She prayed earnestly and tirelessly for her family. She was a member of the Lawson Baptist Church, Lawson, Mo., at the time of her death.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; an infant daughter, Brenda; two brothers, Charles and Doyle; three sisters, Letha, Betty and Marvel Lee; and a grandson, Jonathan Brown.

Surviving her are five sons, Philip (Brenda) of Ottumwa, Iowa; Wayne of Lawson; Steve (Rhonda) of Alexandria, Va.; Michael (Stephanie) of Chesterfield, Mo.; Paul (Laura) of Kansas City, Mo.; a sister-in-law, Elizabeth Bullock of Lexington, Mo.; 11 grandchildren, Matthew Brown, Lisa Langgin, Hannah Abbott, Christi Farabee, Tiffany Bolin, Amy Fouse, Alpha Henry, Ashley Brown, Aubry Kruse, Emily Deakins, and Nathan Brown; great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Services for Mrs. Brown will be held at the Lawson Baptist Church Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m., with services set to begin at 2:00 p.m. Interment will be at South Point Cemetery near Orrick, Mo.

Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, Lawson Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family requests in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Baptist Children’s Home located at Bridgeton, Mo.