Ms. Shirly Fay Foster-Owens

Shirly Fay Foster was born on January 1, 1953, to the union of Mable Foster (nee Hughes) and Ray Foster in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Like many families in the South, the family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1954 for job opportunities. Shirly accepted Christ as her Savior and attended Calvary Baptist Church during her early years. She was awarded a certificate for honest and faithful service in 1960. The family later joined Christ Presbyterian Church in the mid-1960s. Shirly was promoted to the Junior High department in 1965, and received full church-membership in 1967, upon completing confirmation classes. While growing up in Christ Presbyterian, she participated in several church organizations including Girl Scouts, the Youth Group, and Youth Choir. She learned about selfless service at an early age by helping her mother in the church daycare and church food pantry. Shirly received her formal education within Milwaukee Public Schools. She attended Fourth Street and Brown Street Elementary School, graduating 8th grade in 1967. Shirly was an active student while attending West Division High School. She took part in Student Council, A Choir, Pep Club, Cheerleading, and served as a Gym and Swim Monitor. Her friends described her as a social person who knew everyone, and a very sharp dresser! She graduated from West Division High School in 1971. In 1973, she married Oscar King, and this union produced two children. Shirly moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1988, where she worked for 22 years in hotel hospitality. She moved to Lithonia, Georgia in 2010 to be near her children, and finally to North Carolina in 2018 where she lived until her death. She loved to cook and often made meals for her family and their friends. They loved to eat when Ms. Shirl cooked! She enjoyed reading novels, shopping, and watching television, especially cooking channels and "Saddle Up Saturday" (Westerns). Shirly Foster Owens left this journey on July 17,2024, in North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her: loving parents, Mable Hughes Kimbrough and Ray Foster: brother, Samuel Earl Ashford Sr.; sister, Linda Foster; nephew, Samuel Earl Ashford Jr.: brother-in-law, Bobby G. Wilson; and cousin, Everett Hughes. She leaves to cherish her memory: daughter; LaTonya (Andrew) Thompson of Stedman, NC; son, Travis (Keyona) King of Lithonia, GA; spouse, James Owens of Milwaukee, WI; sister, Barbara Ashford Wilson of Port St. Lucie, FL; bonus sons, Jason King of Milwaukee, WI and Brandon (Karen) King of Newport News, VA; grandchildren, Yasenia (Noe) Macias of Fort Johnson, LA Andrew Thompson and Desiree Rosskopf of Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Shontonio Witherspoon of Lithonia, GA; nieces and nephews, Adrian (Hirrie B.) Luckett Sr. of Port St. Lucie, FL Demetrius McCray of Milwaukee, WI, Bridgette (Sidney) Jerger of Port St. Lucie, FL, and Brittany (Duran) Wilson of Tamarac, FL; three great-grandchildren, seven great-nieces and nephews, two great- great nieces, and one great-great nephew; cousins, Sonya Hughes, Everett Hughes Jr., and Brian Hughes, all of St. Louis, MO, and Timothy (Debra) Hughes of Forney, TX; special friends, Patricia Hopkins Tabor, Mary King Hackley, and Olivia Williams; and a host of Hughes, Foster, King, and Owens relatives and friends.

Ms. Shirly Fay Foster-Owens

January 1, 1953 - July 17, 2024