Shirley Forbes

She was born in Fay, Oklahoma on March 18, 1944, firstborn to Paul and Lula Mae Stratton. She grew up in the farmhouse she was born in, beside her younger sister Sharron, until the family moved to California in her early teens. In 1959, Shirley and Sharron were joined by their sister, Kandace.

In 1961, Shirley welcomed her firstborn Lonnie Ray, followed by William “Billy” Edward (’63), Tracy Diane (’69), and Becky Renee (’71). She was a pillar of strength, facing many joys and challenges raising her family. At the start of the 1970s, Shirley moved her family from the Bay area to El Dorado County, where she met and married her husband of the last 33 years, Roy F. Forbes Sr., gaining a new son, Roy “Rowdy” Forbes Jr.

As her children married, she accepted her sons- and daughter-in-law as her own. It was during these years that Shirley welcomed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren into the world. She wanted each and every one of her children and grandchildren to seek and know the Lord, actively inviting them to church and Sunday school as they grew.

As her granddaughter, I remember, among so many things, her soft and gentle hands, prone to sewing and baking bread and sweets. She liked to keep those hands busy! She raised chickens, took up beading, crocheting and knitting and used her nourishing green thumb to tend her flowers and herb garden. She used her hands most often in service in her community and through her church. She served as a Sacramento and El Dorado Community chaplain, Placerville board member of Aglow International, American Red Cross volunteer, a deaconess at Feed My Sheep Ministries, staff member at Marshall Medical Center and serving member of New Hope Fellowship of Shingle Springs. She was a true hostess and leader at heart, always serving others and bringing people together.

She loved Jesus, faithfully and prayerfully, seeking to know Him more each day, by studying His Word in great depth and praising Him daily.

To me she was Grandma, loving and caring, a firm and confident teacher and so full of understanding.

She lives on in the hearts of her husband, Roy, children, sons- and daughter-in-law, stepchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sisters Sharron and Kandace, best friend Joan Thornton and many more.

Shirley was a woman first and foremost after God’s heart.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 1:00 p.m., at the Chapel of the Pines Funeral Home, 2855 Cold Springs Road in Placerville.