Shirley S. Adams, of Dexter, MI, age 88, passed away on August 7, 2023 after bravely battling dementia for several years. Shirley was born on September 3, 1934 in Queens, NY, the daughter of Raymond and Enid (Constant) Sherwood.
Shirley grew up in Manhasset, NY and attended Lasell College in Newton, MA. On May 10, 1958, she married Neil J. Adams of Chicago in Manhasset, NY. They lived in New York for several years before moving to Ann Arbor in 1962. Shirley worked as a medical secretary for several private practices in the area as well as Mott Children’s Hospital for many years. She also worked at the National Highway Safety Research Institute for several years. Raising a family in a fantastic Ann Arbor neighborhood, she was the classic “Kool-Aid Mom” to dozens of kids and was always there to support and provide the oft needed band-aid. Shirley and Neil remained close friends with families first met in 1962.
Shirley and Neil moved to and restored a farmhouse in Dexter in 1991, where she enjoyed gardening, quilting, needlework of many kinds and knitting. She was a talented seamstress who could sew anything. She and Neil traveled extensively in their motorhomes, covering most of the country. They also traveled internationally with trips to China and much of Europe. She enjoyed playing tennis into her late seventies and loved to watch her eight grandchildren play sports, rarely missing a game over 30 years. She loved spending time at the family cottage on Baseline Lake and enjoyed many full-family events. She was a 50+ year member of the First Congregational Church in Ann Arbor, and a longtime member of the Dexter Area Historical Society Guild, and enjoyed participating in activities in both. She went on a number of church mission trips to the south to help rebuild communities following hurricanes. She was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother.
Shirley is survived by her husband of over 65 years, Neil; three children, James (Jill) Adams of Dexter, Robert (Kimberly) Adams of Pinckney and Sheri (Rick) Judkins of Ann Arbor as well as eight grandchildren: Christopher and Robert Adams, Ryan, Andrew, Michael, and Neil Adams, and Emily and Nicole Judkins.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023, 11:00 a.m., at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. A light lunch will follow.
Those wishing to make a contribution in Shirley's memory may do so to the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor or the Dexter Area Historical Society.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
