Shirlee Stith, hospital volunteer, church choir member
Shirlee Lou Stith, 91, of Ithaca, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 27, 2019 after a short illness.
Born on July 21, 1927 in Johnstown, Ohio, she was the only child to parents Harold and Charlene Thompson Longwell. She was a graduate of Johnstown High School where she was a cheerleader and played clarinet in the band. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Marice, for 68 years until his passing in October 2015. After attending both nursing school and a business college near Columbus, she became a devoted and much loved stay-at-home mother for her four children and supported her husband in his distinguished career as a professional trumpet player, recording engineer, and professor of music at both Syracuse and Cornell Universities.
An avid Syracuse University basketball fan and a lover of summers at their family cottage on Otisco Lake, Shirlee was known for her infectious smile, her witty sense of humor, her eternally cheerful demeanor, and her kind, warm and gentle manner with family, friends and acquaintances. She sang in the adult choirs at the University United Methodist Church (Syracuse) and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (Ithaca) under the direction of her husband and served for 35 years as a loyal volunteer at the Cayuga Medical Center.
She is survived by her four children Gary (Joyce) Stith, Thomas (Mary) Stith, Susan (Ronald) Yaeger and Kathie (John) Bennett, twelve grandchildren Andrea, David, Meghan, Karen, Stephanie, Michael, Matthew, Timothy, Christian, Amanda, Brian and Scott, and her nine great grandchildren Bailey, Olivia, Sadie, Charlie, Jack, Brooklyn, Derek, Lauren, and Ryan.
A viewing for family members will be held at the Bang’s Funeral Home and the memorial service will be at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 402 North Aurora Street, Ithaca on Friday, July 5 at 2:00 PM.
Donations in Shirlee’s memory can be sent to the Cayuga Medical Center, 101 Dates Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850.
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SERVICES Memorial Service
Friday, July 05, 2019 2:00 PM
St. Paul's United Methodist Church 402 North Aurora Street Ithaca, New York 14850
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