Shirley Powell was born on December 1, 1956 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was the daughter of Eugene Burrell and Elizabeth Bagley.
At an early age Shirley and her family relocated to Manhattan where she attended New York City public school.
A couple years after high school, she met Denny C. Powell and shortly thereafter had her 1st child in 1977. They married the following year, 3 weeks after having their 2nd child. A year and a half later Shirley had their 3rd child while they were living in Kentucky waiting for Denny's army assignment. They all moved to Germany where they lived for 3 years until moving back to the states.
The family relocated to the Bronx , New York, where Shirley was a housewife for seven years until she and her husband separated.
Shirley began working as a home health aide for Raine Home Care in the early 1990s. She later took on a private case caring for a quadriplegic gentleman for over 20 years until his passing. She continued working in the home health aide field through other agencies until 2017 when she retired.
The following year, Shirley relocated to Albany, New York, where she would live out the rest of her days with her oldest daughter, son-in-law, and two of her grandchildren.
June 2020, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She underwent multiple rounds of chemo, as well as one round of radiation treatment. In August 2021, Shirley decided to discontinue all treatments.
Shirley was a very caring person. She was understanding, giving and empathetic toward others. She loved her family unconditionally and always extended a helping hand when she could which many can attest to.
Shirley was a fun person to be around and she always gave and accepted big, tight hugs. She was the movie watching queen and will definitely be remembered for her large VHS ?? & DVD ?? collection. She was a classy lady, always kept a fresh mani and pedi and had the softest golden brown skin. Shirley's big smile, sassy attitude, and "memory lane" conversations will be missed by anyone who had the pleasure to be around her.
She was a loyal wife, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and most of all mother. Shirley's main concern was the well-being of her children. She gave them everything she could. She treated them all the same and she always said "I have no favorites!" She taught them to love themselves and others. She was the best mother a child could ask for.
She is survived by her daughter Latoyna and her husband Darnell of Albany, NY ; son Denny of Roanoke, Alabama; 4 grandchildren, Daneshia of NYC ; Jamier & Sarai of Albany, NY ; Ciara of Demopolis, Alabama ; 2 great grandchildren Nyzier & Nay-Don of NYC. She is also survived by 2 brothers, Jerome of Buffalo, NY and Michael and his wife Tina of NYC ; 1 sister-in-law Janette (the late Tony Burrell) ; long time companion Vann Douglas , a host of nieces/nephews , family and friends.
In addition to her husband Denny, Shirley was predeceased by her daughter Tina; her parents Eugene & Elizabeth; 2 sisters, Liz & Jean; and 4 brothers, Charles, Oliver, Tony, and Derrick.
Friends and family are invited to attend the visitation on Friday, August 12, 2022 from 10:00am - 11:00am, at New Comer Cremations and Funerals located at 181 Troy Schenectady Rd, Watervliet, NY 12189. A celebration of life time for sharing will begin at 11:00am. Interment will follow at Albany Rural Cemetery at 3 Cemetery Ave, Albany, NY 12204.