Shirley Ann (Drawdy) Ash passed away peacefully on August 23, 2026, in Clermont, Florida. Shirley's life was as vibrant as her trademark red hair.
Shirley started life on a Florida farm and went on to earn her degree in Education from the University of Florida. She became a teacher, sharing her love of learning by teaching Geography, History, current affairs, and even PE.
But Shirley never seemed content to experience the world from a map or a classroom. She lived in South Dakota, Texas, Montana, Florida, and West Berlin. During the Cold War, she spent time in Berlin and traveled behind the Iron Curtain many times, embracing the opportunity to see and experience places far beyond home. Her life took her far from where she began, but eventually she returned to the very plot of land where she had grown up.
Shirley was fiercely independent, warm, funny, and, in everything she did, an all-in sort of person.
She didn't just paint a few pictures. She filled a spare bedroom with canvases. She didn't simply tend a garden; she cultivated flowering plants on a gargantuan scale. And she didn't have just one or two pets. Over the course of her life, she cared for more cats then we could count, plenty of Pomeranians, and even a peacock named Blue.
Shirley was also very involved in Red Hats, where her outgoing personality and natural leadership truly shone. She was the Queen Bee of two different Red Hat groups-at the same time! It was just another example of Shirley's ability to fill her life with friendship, laughter, and adventure.
Shirley's ability to go all-in extended to the way she loved. She showed her love in encouragement, in warmth, and in food. Her spaghetti sauce would simmer all day, ready and waiting for you when you arrived. She had a way of making people feel welcome and reminding them, through her words and her presence, that they could do more than they thought they could.
Shirley was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Simmie Ash; her parents, Drew and Alice Drawdy; and her sister, Becky Meece.
She leaves behind her sons, Ken (Pam) Lee and Kevin (Jill) Ash; four grandchildren, Christie (Robert) Garst, Alisa (Derek) Blackman, Allyson Ash, and Acea (Elizabeth) Ash; and six great-grandchildren, Martin Garst, Jaxson Michael, Ember Blackman, Ezra Ash, Lilly Blackman, and Remington Ash. She also leaves behind the many family members and friends whose lives were made fuller by knowing her.
Shirley will be remembered for her independence, her adventurous spirit, her creativity, her generosity, her sense of humor, and the tremendous love she gave to her family and friends.
She will be deeply missed, warmly remembered, and loved always.