2021 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. She was born in Detroit,
Michigan on November 19, 1933 to Mildred Bilson and Douglas Gurney.
After her parents divorced, she moved to Florida with her mother and her
stepfather, Louis Alex “Al” Reifiess who later adopted her and gave her
his name. On January 5, 1953, Shirley married Lavern Jackson Spooner
in Brevard County, FL. Shirley will be remembered as a devoted wife,
mother, and grandmother who spent her entire life taking care of others.
She was a strong and steady woman with an entrepreneurial spirit. She was a long time resident of Branford, Florida and started and ran several successful businesses there including her late husband’s chiropractor clinic. She also started a rental business for divers, a hair salon,
and later a flower shop. Shirley loved spending time with her family and was known for her home cooking, gracious hospitality, and incredible work ethic. She spent summers teaching her grandchildren the value of hardwork and having fun, holidays bringing the entire family together
for poker nights and bonfires, and in her later years helped care for her grandchildren and those who needed a mother’s nurturing. She was lovingly nicknamed ‘Maude’ by her family and friends for her enduring strength and firm belief that women were a fundamental part of the
success of all families. She was a beautiful woman, inside and out, who held herself to a high standard and demonstrated that through her love and caring spirit. She is survived by her children, Linda Zack, Deborah Snell, Donald Spooner, and Kenneth Spooner as well as 11 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. To honor Shirley’s memory, the family asks that in
lieu of flowers a donation be made to the Sugarmill Manor at 8985 S. Suncoast Blvd, Homosassa, FL 34446 where Shirley was loved and taken care of for the last years of her life. Wilder Funeral Home, Homosassa, FL. www.wilderfuneral.com
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