A Mom, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Wife and Best Friend

Shirley Virginia Loviner was born on June 5, 1942 to William and Mary Loviner in Newport News, Virginia.  When Shirley was 17, her mother passed away leaving her and her 5 siblings without their mom.  After a brief battle with Cancer and congestive heart failure, she slipped into her final rest quietly in her sleep from the effects of these horrible diseases.

Most obituaries begin like this, but that does not do justice to the woman who was a central figure in our lives, who loved unconditionally and always trusted in God.  Shirley was a beautifully created woman who cared deeply for all her family and always stressed the importance of staying together, whether through calls or visits.

She was happiest when others were happy, and Her life was a living example of the Bible verse, Ephesians 4:32 — "And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ."

When she was 18 years of age, she married Jose (Bob) Rodriguez on August 4th,1960.  After being married they moved to Barstow, CA to begin their life together.  Their life together was challenging at the beginning, but they loved each other through all those challenges.

Shirley was one of 6 children, James (Harvey), Helen, Bobby, William, Peggy and Mary.  At present, all but Peggy have preceded her in death.

She loved cooking and likely held one of Cabool's largest cookbook collections, and fortunately a few in her family are great cooks and loved her collection.

The family has so many precious memories of Shirley and touching on all of them would turn this into a novel in length akin to Tolstoy's "War and Peace".  To select one that her children can all relate to is one relating to what she thought of as "discipline" and her kids considered an "attempt to discipline".

When her children were younger, if they did something they knew was wrong, and she caught them, they would laugh and run, with Shirley running close behind with her fly swatter looking for a butt to swat.  Shirley thought she was disciplining, but the kids knew that whatever mischief they were willing to get into was worth the attempted swatting from her feeble fly swatter.  Of course, they would feign a cry when swatted, and then quickly turn, walk away and giggle.  She was not much of a strong disciplinarian, and her kids knew that, and knew that she was only trying to correct a wrong…but it never swayed her kids from the mischief – kids will be kids, and while her "fly swatting" didn't resonate very well, she did have a way of making you understand that what you did was wrong.

Shirley spent most of her years dedicated to raising her kids which, again, was no small feat.  Living in Barstow, CA., there was plenty of time and boredom that helped her kids to become "inspired" to mischief.  Her husband Bob spent a lot of his time working many jobs, some 2 to 3 at a time, to ensure his family's needs were always met.  Living in Barstow offered some opportunities, with the railroad and the marine base being the largest employers.  Even while working his main job, Bob would take on side jobs to bring in extra money.

Shirley was always supportive of the decisions her kids made and, at times, if those decisions were poor choices disguised as what were considered "good decisions", she was quick to let you know.

Together, they have 4 children, Bill (Elena), Pam (Paul), Brian and Paula (Greg).  She had numerous grandkids, Mike AKA Mikie (Char), Savannah (Max), Mekiah, Jacob (Jessica), Courtney (Anthony), Bryan, Robert, Nicholas (Chloe), Madison, Chris (Gina), Brittany (Dyson) and Kevin (Emily).  In addition to her grandkids, she has 25 great grandkids.  She also had an extended family that included Terri & Phillip Peralta Sr. and Phillip Jr. AKA Lil' Phil who she loved dearly.  She loved them all, each and every one, and made sure they knew how much she loved them.  Her greatest love was her family, and all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were proud to know her.

Everyone leaves their mark in this world we live in and Shirley left her indelible mark on all those around her.  She will be missed each and every day by so many.

Everyone has a story to tell about her, and this one is just a small part of the wonderful life she led and impact she had on others.  We only wish we could have a "sliver" of time more with her, but that day will come again.

We all love you and miss you dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be conducted at the First Baptist Church of Cabool, MO. on Friday, July 28th, 2023 from 2-4pm.  Final Interment date will be announced later and will occur at the Riverside Veterans Cemetery in California.