Shirley Marie Dement, 70, a devoted wife and mother, died April 1 at St. Mary’s Hospital after a long and tiring struggle with health issues. She and her husband, Kenneth Dement, Sr., St. Mary’s County Commissioner form District 1, resided in Tall Timbers.
Shirley was born on November 13, 1938 in Mechanicsville, MD. She was the daughter of the late Charles Franklin Long and Margaret Cusic Long and the granddaughter of the late Jody and Daisy Cusic.
Shirley married her husband Kenneth on November 20, 1954. They were fortunate to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary with friends and family four and a half years ago. She was a child bride of sixteen and they have been happily married and very close all these years.
Shirley attended St. Mary’s Academy and retired from the St. Mary’s County School Board as a bus driver with 20 years of service. She was a wonderful and loving homemaker for her family. She was a great cook noted for her stuffed ham and fried oysters. She enjoyed her many collectables that included; Barbie dolls, Elvis, roosters, ducks, angels, teapots and her blue and white chinaware. She also enjoyed flowers and bird watching.
She is survived by her husband and their four sons; Michael of Callaway, Ronald of CA, Jeffery of LaPlata and Jody of Callaway, her three sisters; Becky Guy, Charlene Adams and Marian Hobgood of Mechanicsville, her seven grandchildren; Hanna, Brooke, Jake, Dylan, Alexandra, Ryan and Rochelle, and two great grandchildren Sean and Adam. She is preceded in death by her oldest son Kenny Jr. “KD” who died in 1998.
Family will receive friends on Sunday, April 5, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Holy Face Catholic Church, 20476 Point Lookout Road, Great Mills. Prayers will be recited at 7:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. Reverend Joseph R. Sileo will be the celebrant.
Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be C.J. Knott, Bubby Spalding, Donald Knott, Frank Bell, Sr., Bill Lynam and George Bean. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Guy, Jr., J.D. Blackwell, Lionell Blackwell, David Dement, Leon Dement, Jr., Stewart Dement, Jason Guy and Bobby Guy.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650, the Second District Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1, Valley Lee, MD 20692, or the National Kidney Foundation, 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20015.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com. Making the arrangements is the Brinsfield Funeral Home in Leonardtown.