Richard "Skip" Shirley

Richard Hoyt "Skip" Shirley went home to his Savior, Friday, January 10. He was 84. Burial will be at Sparkman/Hillcrest in Dallas at a private graveside service. All who loved Skip are invited to a celebration of his life to be held at 3 p.m., Wednesday, January 22, in the sanctuary of Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas. The family will receive visitors at a reception in Fellowship Hall following the service. Those who cannot attend in person are invited to watch the service via live streaming by visiting the link at www.hpumc.org.

Skip was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 20, 1935, to Lawrence Albert Shirley and Edna Myers Shirley, formerly of Tennessee and Ohio, respectively, as the third of four sons. His father led the local arm of Goodwill Industries, and his entire family was active in Goodwill for many years. Skip is a graduate of Shreveport's Fair Park High School, where he was a standout athlete.

Skip began his career with the railroad, but soon found his gift in sales, focusing his talents on the printing business by joining Mid-South Press in the 1960s. In 1972, he opened his own business, Progressive Printing, which grew through the next two decades and expanded its scope to become Progressive Marketing. In 1994, Skip moved his business to Dallas, Texas, where he added industrial warehousing to his business services.

Throughout his life, Skip has been active in his church and community. In Shreveport, he coached over a dozen youth sports teams and was an active board member for Shreveport Parks and Recreation. Most notably, though, he was a founder and early chairman of Shreveport's Independence Bowl, playing a major role in the bowl's establishment, early history and continued success. In 1979, Skip accepted an award on behalf of the Independence Bowl, which had been named "Shreveport's Best Ad" by the Shreveport Advertising Federation, for bringing the best publicity to the Shreveport area.

Skip was a life-long Methodist, even bearing the names of two Methodist bishops well-loved by the Shirley family. He served his church in numerous capacities from Sunday School Superintendent to Pastor/Parish Relations, including 16 years as a much-loved usher at Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas, where he also founded the First Light Sunday-school class.

Skip was preceded in death by his parents and by his brothers Lawrence, "Larry" Shirley and Robert "Bob" Shirley. He is survived by his wife Geraldine Winkler Shirley, children Richard Hoyt "Rick" Shirley, Jr., and wife, Lisa, and Cynthia Arlene "Cindy" Shirley Woods, grandchildren, Steven and John Shirley and Richard and Allison Woods, brother Michael "Mickey" Shirley and wife, Gay, sisters-in-law Peggy Shirley and Alice Singer, and numerous well-loved nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Belong Disability Ministry at Highland Park Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas 75205.