Shirley Elaine Bowlan

Shirley Elaine Bowlan, 67, a resident of Brantley, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 11th, 2024, while surrounded by her family. Funeral services for Shirley will be held at 2 PM on Sunday, January 14th, at Cameron Chapel Methodist Church with Brother Scott Penn and Rev. Richard Holmes officiating. She will then be laid to rest beside her beloved husband in the church cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the church for one hour prior to the service.

Shirley was the rock her entire wonderfully blended family was built upon. She was a faithful wife to her beloved Royce for over three decades as they faced all the slings and arrows life could throw at them together. She was truly the quintessential "tough cookie" as she faced so much adversity in life but never let it break her spirit. She was a safe harbor in the storms of life for so many who were her family by either blood and heart. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren could not have possibly hoped for a better "Mama" or "Granny" in their lives to both love and spoil them...well, I think the grandchildren and great-grandchildren benefited the most from the spoiling part, as it should be! Shirley was beyond selfless and never failed to put others ahead of herself. She was even comforting her loved ones as her own health failed, and they could not have asked for a better example of how to deal with the worst life could throw at them. What an amazing legacy to leave behind for all of them.

Shirley was about the hardest worker you could ever meet. She wasn't above working three jobs at one time if that's what her family needed because she never failed to put them first at all times. In what little free time she would have, she loved spending it outside whether it was fishing or camping with some of her favorite people. Of course, her family always got excited when Shirley was whipping up her best dishes in the kitchen. Her red velvet cake and banana were absolutely scrumptious, but there was nothing like her homemade dressing, biscuits, or tomato gravy! You definitely never failed to not eat well when Granny was feeding you! She was also a devoted Christian and faithful member of Cameron Chapel Methodist Church, where she loved worshipping her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with her church family. Above all, to know Shirley was to love her. She meant the world to all those who did know and love her. She will be missed more than words can possibly express, but her loved ones will find comfort in the lifetime of treasured memories they made together.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband of 34 years, Royce Jennings Bowlan; granddaughter, Miranda Wolfe; and parents, James Aliga & Marion Gray Hilburn Bolding. She is survived by her children, Sherry (Kalup Lewis) Bolding, Jennifer (Scott) Penn, Mitchell (Martha) Bowlan, Sandra (Marcus) Cook, Samuel (Kamelia) Bowlan, and James "Bubba" (Jessica) Bowlan; grandchildren, Shawn Bolding, Kimberly (Darian) Jones, and Rebecca Penn,
Linsley Bowlan, Brett Bowlan, Brittany Wolfe, Hailey Bowlan, Hannah Bowlan, Brooklyn Bowlan, Presley Bowlan, and Jackson Bowlan; ten great-grandchildren; siblings, Glenda Gail Bolding Willis, Mary Ann Bolding Cantrell, Jerry Larue Bolding, David Lee Bolding, and Robert Wayne Bolding; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Active pallbearers will be Dustin Bolding, James Bolding, Kalup Lewis, Jonathan Boyett, Michael Cantrell, and Ronnie Sanders.