Shirley Holmesly

On Thursday, November 3, 2022, Shirley Stewart Holmesly (39ish), loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away. Shirley was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spent her younger years in Hammond, Louisiana, until her parents moved to Freeport, Texas. After graduating from Brazosport High School, Shirley began her adventures in motherhood with the birth of her oldest daughter, Traci. While a young mother, Shirley attended classes at Texas A&M University, where she hoped to graduate with a degree in Mathematics. However, at the time she was pursuing this degree, women were only allowed to attend Texas A&M University as spouses of students, daughters of professors, or based on some other “special relationship” to the university. One of the Mathematics professors at the time believed that Shirley was taking the place of an otherwise qualified male candidate and quashed her dreams of a Texas A&M University Mathematics degree. Despite this challenge, Shirley still loved Aggies. Around this time, Shirley gave birth to her first and only son, Rob, and refocused her energy on motherhood. A few years later, Shirley, having moved to Houston, decided to pursue a degree in business at the University of Houston. While attending the University of Houston, she met and married the father of her youngest two children, Mary and Cathryn. The family set up house in West University, where Traci participated in FFA, even housing a steer and a sheep in their West U backyard for a few weeks (much to the chagrin of the neighbors). Come spring each year, you would find Shirley in the stands at the West U baseball fields, cheering on the West U Little League team on which Rob played. Later, she even opened a dance studio in Rice Village for Mary and Cathryn to continue the joy of dance outside of school. Amidst the mothering, Shirley worked as a legal secretary, a paralegal, co-owner of a metal fabricating business, co-owner of a dance studio, a real estate agent, and, in later years, as a landscaper, when she was finally able to put her love of gardening and landscaping to work. Having been a young mother, Shirley also found herself a young grandmother with the birth of her first grandchild, Brandon, followed by Taylor and Cameron. Shirley relished her role as “Mimi” and later, “Gigi,” and she set about grand-mothering with the same vigor she mothered. Soon she was chauffeuring Brandon to acting and singing lessons, watching again from the bleachers as Taylor cheered on a sports team, and chasing after Cameron in his toddler years. When the nest cleared, Shirley met and married the love of her life, Gene Guthrie. The loving couple built their own home in Conroe, Texas, with Gene’s expertise due to a long career in home building. Shirley and Gene loved to travel and ensured their passports were always up to date with extra pages for visa entries. They travelled to Europe seven times, went on countless cruises, and even ventured to Australia and New Zealand in January 2020. They also enjoyed spending time on the road in the US in their Airstream travel trailer. Between her and Gene’s travel adventures, Gigi and Dappy would spend time with their two youngest grandchildren: Finn and Miles. Both boys loved to tagalong with Gigi and Dappy in the Airstream for a trip to Jellystone or even snow skiing in New Mexico. In November 2020, Shirley became a great-grandmother to Harper (finally, another girl in the family!). And between and amongst all of the kids and grandkids were the dogs: Maggie, Rosie, Ruby, Lulu, and Pearl. And her grand-dogs as well: Lucy, Molly, Frankie, Brixton, Rocky, Huey, Aggie, and Fuzzy. Shirley LOVED dogs. Cats, not so much. But dogs were always allowed to lick the yogurt or ice cream cup and clean the dishes. Even though she loved to wear black clothing (because it was slimming) she never minded a little dog hair and always said she wanted to come back as one of her dogs in her next life. Shirley first fought and won a battle with breast cancer in 1979. She fought and won another battle with breast cancer in 2008. But the radiation therapy from the treatment she received in 1979 had caused heart issues, a battle she would fight, but which would ultimately defeat her. Shirley was preceded in death by her mother, Mildred, her favorite aunt, Beverly, and her oldest daughter, Traci. She is survived by her loving and doting husband, Gene Guthrie; son, William “Rob” Wade; daughter Mary Holmesly (Jim Staley); daughter Cathryn Linn (Jason); five grandchildren: Brandon Simmons, Taylor Brewer (Kendall), Cameron Simmons, Finnegan Staley, and Miles Staley; great-grand daughter, Harper Grace Brewer; her nephew, Brian Briscoe; niece Amanda Haish; and many loving cousins. A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 2:00 pm at Magnolia Funeral Home (811 Magnolia Boulevard, Magnolia, Texas 77355). After the service, friends are invited to join the family at the Guthrie home, 2424 Chantilly Lane, Conroe, Texas 77384. The Addison family and staff of Magnolia Funeral Home extend condolences to Shirley's family during this difficult time.