Shirley Moseley

by Lynn McMillen
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Shirley Moseley, 88, of Florence, died Sunday, July 17 peacefully at home, surrounded by family and listening to her most beloved hymns. A visitation will be held at the Chapel of First United Methodist Church in Downtown Florence on Thursday, July 21, at 1:00pm, with Memorial Service to follow at 2:00pm.

 

Shirley was born May 18, 1934, in Yakima, Washington, to Colonel Arthur and Mrs. Edna Cheyne.  An Army Brat, Shirley moved throughout the country, making friends at every duty station, including Texas, Kansas, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In 1952, her father was stationed at Florence State Teachers College to serve as the director of the ROTC Department.  While enrolled at Florence State, Shirley met John Moseley, and the two were married on September 1, 1954. They spent the first two years of married life stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and welcomed the birth of a son, John Moseley, Jr. Before long, John, Sr. accepted a commission in the Naval Reserves, and the two moved back to Florence, where they added three more children: Leah, Molly, and Sara.

 

Shirley was one-of-a-kind; a real-life enigma. A life-long lover of the written word and an avid reader, Shirley wrote several books, pieces of music, and two musicals, winning prizes for some of her work. Passionate about her faith, Shirley never missed an opportunity to spread the Gospel, volunteering at church and teaching Sunday School for more than 40 years to all ages at First Presbyterian Church of Florence, First Baptist Church of Florence, and Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Cherokee, keeping in touch with many of her Sunday School pupils for the remainder of her life. Shirley’s greatest passion was for raising Scottish Terriers–a love that spanned the duration of her life and was passed down to two generations. When she died, it was with her beloved Scottie, Toby, by her side and, having finally attained her cherished goal of meeting her Savior face-to-face, she was no doubt greeted at the Pearly Gates by the wagging tails and excited barks of Rags, Mac, Sorsha, Maggie, Mary, Angus, Voofie, Bear, Fala, Dougal, and Sophie.

 

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, John; her parents, Art and Edna; her sister, Joyce; and her brother, Art, Jr.

 

Survivors include her son, John and wife, Rhonda; her daughter Leah; her daughter Molly and husband, Mike; her daughter, Sara; and “adopted” son, Fr. Ed Benya, S.J.; her grandchildren, Roger, Jennifer, Cassandra, Ashley, Mike, Sylvia, Gabrielle, and Hunter; three great-grandchildren, Kira, Jonah, and Eli; her sister, Martha and brother-in-law, Jim; sister-in-law, Manik; and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

 

While we mourn her death, we know Shirley has at long last come face-to-face with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ–whom she loved beyond measure, and Who loved her without end. In her final act, Shirley would like to share her favorite verse with you, Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

 

The family wishes to thank Dr. Felix Morris, Dr. Zubair Khan, Dr.Wayne Stanley, the team at North Alabama Regional Medical Center, and Hospice of North Alabama for their expert care. Shirley loved them all. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made either to the Jesuit Ministry of Father Ed Benya, S.J. at: https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/support-us/donate-now/ ; or to Frank Whitaker Ministries, address: 1881 Martha Lane NE; Arab, AL 35016.

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