Shirley Ann Carlow, 83, passed away Wednesday, January 29, 2020. She was born January 14, 1937 to Delbert and Mabel (Kincaid) Berry. Mabel passed away when Mom was born due to a ruptured appendix. Mom was raised by Mabel’s parents, Ward and Winnie Kincaid.
Shirley lived in Excelsior Springs her entire life.
She is survived by her loving husband, Robert Carlow; and their children, Rick (Mary) Rogers, Kerri (Buddy) Bunch, Scott Rogers, and Amy (Allen) Bradley; seven grandchildren, Jeffrey (Sabrina) Bunch, Jaime (Brian) Hyatt, Royce (Courtney) Rogers, Emily (Chris) Brown, Matthew Rogers, Morgan Bradley and Madison Bradley; eight great grandchildren, Ashlyn, Gavin, Lauren, Jasmine, Easton, Bryce, Henrik and Maddox.
A celebration of life will be held at the Elks Lodge in Excelsior Springs on Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 12 to 3 p.m. We would like this to be a fun-loving day to share stories and remember Mom. We will have meat and some side dishes catered. If you want to bring a side dish or dessert, please feel free. We all know Mom wouldn’t want us to miss a meal.
If anyone could write a book, it would be Mom..
At a young age, Mom married Robert Rogers. From this union, three children were born. Rick Rogers, Kerri Rogers Bunch and Scott Rogers. Although this union did not last, it brought many aunts, uncles and cousins.
On June 24, 1966 Mom married Dad, Robert Carlow. A few years later, they had Amy. In our house, there was never once any mention of half or step, we were just family.
In the early years, there were many miles spent driving between home and Fulton, Mo., where Rick and Scott attended The Missouri School for the Deaf. Once they graduated high school, there were many trips to Rochester, N.Y., where they both attended college.
Holidays and summer breaks were for vacations. Many of these travels were in an old bread truck or a 1973 Chevy truck with a cab over camper. One of these trips included a 9 week trip to Alaska in the summer of 1977. With that said, Mom and Dad have seen all 50 states and all Canadian Provinces. In addition to these trips, they traveled with friends on several occasions. There were many cruises, several trips to Hawaii, Mexico and several countries throughout Europe. Later in life, Mom also enjoyed traveling with Kerri on bus trips with several folks from Excelsior Springs.
Mom worked for Avsco/Gates/Gilmour for over 30 years. She retired in 1998. Although we know she spent several occasions in the boss’s office for being mouthy, she made so many good friends during her time there.
If Mom wasn’t working or on vacation, you could usually find her around town in her CARLOW car. Once she retired, you might see her at McDonald’s, Walmart or at every garage sale listed in the Town and Country Leader each week. Even if you put the days and hours on a garage sale listing, it was nothing for Mom to knock on a door the day before to look at something. She spent an endless amount of time making sure that everyone had what (she thought) they needed. If you asked her if she had something, chances are, she did. If she didn’t, she’d find it. The list of folks on the receiving end of her gifts, is endless.
Momma had a giving/good heart, but we all know she was a live wire. From the stories we’ve heard, she was always like that. Like most of us lovingly know, you did not want to be on the receiving end of a battle with her.
We also want to send a warm and sincere thank you to all of her caregivers these past few years. As you all know, she wasn’t an easy one to care for. In fact, some of her favorite caregivers had given her a nickname. On a good day, she was Shirley. On a not so good day, she was Sheila. Walking in to the facility, they would always let us know if we were getting Shirley or Sheila that day. She loved you all like her own and we can’t thank you enough for the care you gave her.
Momma, our time with you has come to an end. Our wish for you on the other side is pure happiness and healthiness. We want you to rest easy every night, eat McDonald’s breakfast every morning with your friends, go to every garage sale and Savers that you want, travel to all of your favorite places and most importantly, enjoy all the Diet Cokes and desserts your heart desires. Love you lots. 💓
Our Sincere Condolences
Dear family,
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss of such an amazing woman. I cared for her in her last few months and she was so incredibly loving and giving. She was such a exceptional woman. I know she is up in Heaven smiling down on us. Thank you all for the oppurtunity of having the honor to know her!!!!
Lindsey F Vanderhoof
