In Memory

Shirley J. Quinnan, 60, passed away on Saturday, November 25, 2017 at Gilchrist Hospice Center, Towson, MD. She was the wife of Stephen J. Quinnan of Parkton, MD. Shirley and Stephen were married on January 12, 1977, sharing 40 years together. Born on July 3, 1957, in Flint, Michigan, she was the daughter of the late Charles William and Etta Ellen (Bentley) Webster. Shirley worked as a customer service manager at Walmart Supercenter in Shrewsbury for 18 years. In addition to her husband, Shirley leaves to cherish her memory, a son, Jason E. Quinnan, his wife, Brittany and their daughter, McKenna of Abbottstown, PA; 8 siblings, David and Linda Webster of Port Charlotte, FL, Judy and Bill Clairmont of Port Charlotte, FL, Betty and Steve Carlton of Stewartstown, PA, Ellen Green of Vassar, MI, Patrick Webster of Vassar, MI, Kim and Lee Plakiotis of Port Charlotte, FL, James and Becky Webster of Saginaw, MI, Renee Webster and Scott Baldwin of Millington, MI; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Shannon M. Quinnan and a brother, Rev. Thomas C. Webster. All services are private at the request of the family. Hartenstein Funeral and Cremation Care, Inc., New Freedom, is assisting the family. Shirley loved children and her family. If you knew Shirley, you knew you were loved.

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Sweet Shirley was one of the sisters of my first husband, the late Tom Webster. I was so shocked and saddened to hear of Shirley's passing. I can't stop thinking about her great sense of humor, and her infectious laugh has been on rewind in my mind since hearing of her death. I'm sorry that her precious granddaughter will not have the blessing of Shirley's abundant love and attention as she grows up. The earth is certainly a little less bright without Shirley on it, but I know she had a joyous reunion in heaven with her beautiful daughter, Shannon, and my beloved Tom; and we will see her again in the Sweet By and By. Please join me in asking the Lord to help Shirley's family through this difficult journey of grief. 

As I was thinking about Shirley this afternoon, my mind suddenly remembered something that happened here on Saturday. I had been watching a young deer in our yard for a couple of hours that morning. This was the youngster my husband has named Milkdud. It's the offspring of Chloe, our most frequent deer visitor. Chloe and Milkdud are here so often that they're almost pets. In fact, they're out there right now as I'm typing this. They're normally inseparable, so I was surprised that Chloe was absent for so long that morning. Finally, Chloe showed up and they had a sweet little reunion near the bird feeders. I snapped a few photos of Chloe licking Milkdud's head. 

When thinking about Shirley's reunion in heaven with her daughter, Shannon, it occurred to me that Chloe and Milkdud were meeting up in my backyard about the same time Shirley passed away on Saturday. I checked the time stamp on the photos. Sure enough! It was shortly after Shirley passed that Chloe was greeting Milkdud with a lick. The symbolism was not lost on me. It was just a sweet little picture of the wonderful greeting between mother and daughter in heaven!

All is well in the Keweenaw.