Shirley E. Doster Poling, 93, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, July 26, 2020 at home, in Franklin, TN, surrounded by family.
Shirley was born on February 24, 1927 to Donald and Christina Gladys (Kohart) Hughes in Jackson Michigan. Her family moved to Oakwood, OH, where she attend first (1st) through twelfth (12th) grade. After graduation, Shirley attended Tiffin College through the United States War Department’s employee educational program. On October 1, 1949, Shirley married Ivan Ray Doster, a fellow high school classmate. After their wedding they moved to Fort Wayne, IN where they both worked at General Electric Co. Shirley and Ivan adopted two children, Vicki Doster (Col. USAF Retired) (Jim, LtCol, USAF Retired) of Freeport, FL and Steve Doster (Judy) of Ft. Wayne, IN, who survive. Ivan preceded Shirley in death in 1957. In 1967 Shirley married Maurice “Maury” D. Poling of Convoy, OH and they had Julie Poling Schenck (Jim) who survive, of Franklin, TN. In 1993, Maurice preceded her in death. Shirley has surviving, four (4) grandchildren – Dr. Ryan Doster (Kristen) of Bellevue, TN, Army Specialist Jason Doster of Indianapolis, IN, Elizabeth Schenck and Emma Grace Schenck, both of Franklin, TN. Also surviving Shirley are four (4) stepchildren, six (6) step-grandchildren, four (4) great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Shirley’s was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Dale Hughes of Jackson, MI and Lee Hughes of Dunnellan, FL, and sister, Wilma Carpenter of Jackson, MI.
After the death of her husband Ivan, Shirley was a legal secretary at Medical Protective Company of Fort Wayne, for about 10 years. Before moving to Franklin, TN to be close to her youngest daughter and her family, Shirley was active in St. Joseph Methodist Church where she use to sing in the church choir, a member of the Women’s Circle and member of the Builders Sunday School Class. While living in TN, Shirley and her life-long friends Betty Marsh and Marge Roughton spoke almost daily on the phone. It was the highlight of many of her days. She also loved to stay busy with her hands, making exquisite cross-stitch works which have been framed and given to family as well as getting crafty with card making. Shirley also enjoyed crocheting blankets, finishing her last blanket in December 2019. At the request of her dear friend and fabulous hairdresser, Elaine Thompson, her most recent blankets were baby blankets for the Walker Baptist Church’s homeless outreach.
Visitation will be held in Franklin, TN on Monday, July 26,2020 from 5:00 pm to 8:00pm at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home.
