Helen Lee Shirley

ARLINGTON -- Helen Lee Shirley, 81, beloved mother, grandmother and friend, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, in Arlington. Funeral: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington. Interment: 1:30 p.m. in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Lane C. Visitation: The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Helen was born Oct. 19, 1932, in Winchester, Va., to James Howard Smith and Gertrude Agnes Riley Smith. She was raised by her grandparents, Samuel and Signora Harris Riley. A resident of Arlington since 1970, she was a member of Fielder Road Baptist Church. Helen was a widow of U.S. Navy veteran James Calvin Shirley, who served during the Korean War. They were married Sept. 12, 1953, in Hagerstown, Md. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Helen enjoyed cooking; her specialties included chicken and dumplings, yeast rolls, applesauce cake, fried chicken, sweet potatoes, Virginia dressing and yellow gravy. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Calvin Shirley, on June 26, 1961. Survivors: Sons, Steven Lee Shirley and wife, Darla, and Matthew James Shirley; grandchildren, Samantha Lee Shirley, Calvin Mac Shirley and Stevie Danene Shirley, all of Arlington; and sister, Barbara Bowery of Winchester, Va. Wade Family Funeral Home Arlington, 817-274-9233