July 1, 1934 - July 8, 2022

Shirley Whitworth of Mabelvale, AR, 88, passed away July 8, 2022. She is preceded in death by her husband of 43 years, Raymond Whitworth; parents, Celvie and Mamie Dobbs; brothers, Ernest, Jim and Hugo Dobbs and sisters, Hazel Ford, Edna Gordon and Dorthea Dobbs.

She leaves to cherish her memory her sons, Mike (Lisa) Whitworth and Mark Whitworth; her daughters, Kathy (Bill) Boyte and Karen (Gene) Hodges; grandchildren, Eric Perez, Alicia Brown (Garrett), Lance Hodges (Ryan), Kristen Hodges and Brittney Boyte; great-grandchildren, Chloe Whitworth, Matthew Whitworth, Aubrey Brown, Johnny Perez, Brock Perez, Dakota Christian-Hodges, Mason Hodges, Gwyneth Hodges; her sister, Mamie Carmody of Allen, Texas and numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly.

After 24 years of dedicated service, Shirley retired from AT&T (formerly Teletype) in 1993. Retirement was the beginning of many fun-filled trips to Branson with Raymond and Patsy and Jimmy Smithpeters. Raymond and Shirley loved their trips with Patsy and Jimmy and she spoke of them often. Shirley took a couple of trips with her daughters to Boston, MA , and Savanna, GA with Pasty and Cyndi Loe. She also traveled to Florida with Lisa, Alicia, Chloe and others, where she truly enjoyed relaxing on the beach under an umbrella, being spoiled by her daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

Her last big adventure was a week-end camping trip with Karen and Mark to Lake Greeson, where they camped overnight in tents and cooked out over an open fire. Reminiscent of the family vacations every summer that included several aunts, uncles and cousins camping out for two weeks swimming, fishing, skiing and hiking, she had a great time. And yes, Shirley could ski. There wasn't much Shirley couldn't do, from raising a garden to driving a pallet jack, to teaching her kids to drive and being a great example of parenting for her children to follow. That didn't mean she didn't pull the grandmother (or Gan, as she was called) card if she thought the grandchildren and great-grandchildren were being treated too strictly. She spoke her mind, but she was never rude. She was a wonderful woman, a great mother and a fantastic grandmother.

In addition to camping and travel, Shirley was a big sports fan, being particularly fond of NASCAR, Arkansas Razorbacks football, basketball and baseball. She also loved the Pittsburg Steelers and watched many games with Mark. And we learned to not call during one of these games because she needed to be cheering on her team.

She and Raymond were founding members of Calvary Church of the Nazarene, where she served on the Sunday School Board and the Church Board at various times over the years. She volunteered in many positions, from greeter to counter to missionary president and also took her turn in the church nursery.

In recent years, she didn't get out much, but she stayed in contact with her family and friends on the phone. She spoke frequently with her sister, Mamie; her long-time friend from work, Floy Shepherd; her travel buddy and niece Patsy; her niece Judy; her church buddies; Pauline Crossland; honorary daughter, Melanie Abundis and many, many others.

Pallbearers will be Eric Perez, Matthew Whitworth, Gene Hodges, Lance Hodges, Mason Hodges and Garrett Brown. Honorary pallbearer is Bill Boyte.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 6-8 pm at Roller Drummond Southwest Funeral Home, 10900 Interstate 30, Little Rock, AR and Service, Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 11:30 am. Interment will be at 1:00 pm at Pine Crest Memorial Park, 7401 Hwy. 5, Alexander, AR. The full obituary can be accessed at www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/drummond.

Based on forecast temperatures, the family suggests wearing cool and comfortable clothing. No suits for us.

In lieu of flowers, if you so choose, you may donate to the Calvary Church of the Nazarene ROC Building Fund, 10325 W. 36th Street, Little Rock, AR 72204; or the Saline County Humane Society, 7600 Bauxite Hwy., Bauxite, AR 72011. Shirley was a big proponent of having your cats and dogs spayed or neutered after having several dogs dumped on her property resulting in too many puppies to help.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Drummond Funeral Home
10900 Interstate 30
Little Rock, AR  72209
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com