Shirley Abbott Wilson

Shirley Wilson died of complications of pulmonary fibrosis February 18, 2019 at the age of 77. She passed away peacefully under the excellent care of SECU Hospice House of Brunswick – Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Bolivia, NC with her family at her bedside.

Born 28 April 1941 in Ashton Crossroads near Burgaw, NC, Shirley worked as a secretary in Raleigh with her best friend Phyllis Roberson and met her future husband Woody Wilson, Jr. He chased her two years before she finally said yes! They were married at First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC in 1966. She was an Army wife heavily involved with community service for Woody’s thirty year career while stationed in the US and Germany. It was a hard but rewarding life and when Woody deployed to Vietnam and many other places during his career, it was Shirley who kept the family going. She was the original Energizer Bunny. After Woody retired from Ft Bragg in 1996, they settled in Oak Island, before moving to Southport in 2003. It soon became the home and community they truly loved. Shirley served on and was a lifetime member of the Southport Historical Society, a board member of The Friends of the NC Maritime Museum at Southport for eight years and was a Southport Visitors Center volunteer and proudly served as a Brunswick County Board of Elections volunteer for 15 years. Woody and Shirley worked as a team for fifty-three full and lively years.

Shirley is survived by her husband COL (ret) Woodrow O. Wilson, Jr., their two sons Woody Carsky-Wilson (wife Meg, children Lucas, Andrew, Marcus, Erik and Celia) and Andrew Scott Wilson (wife Sharon, daughter Victoria).

Shirley wants her memorial to be like she lived her life. “I don’t want people to be sad when I die. There should be dancing and music!” she said many times.

Thank you for all the love and support we received from so many friends and family.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Southport Presbyterian Church with internment immediately following the service in the memorial gardens on site. The family will receive friends at the church fellowship hall following the celebration of life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to Southport Presbyterian Church at https://www.southportpresbyterian.com/ , the SECU Hospice House in Bolivia at https://www.lcfh.org/ways-to-give/memorials-tributes/ or the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport.

A special thanks to the Stephen Ministries for all the love and spiritual support provided and to the special hospice staff (Jennie and Kim) who took such loving care of her at home as she declined.

Online condolences may be made at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com.

Peacock-Newnam &White Funeral and Cremation Service