Shirley Ann Harbin

Born: February 6, 1931 Heaven-bound: February 27, 2022

Shirley was born and raised I n Browning, Illinois to Herschel and (Clyde) Anna Briney. She

was the oldest of 4 children; Arlene, Rodney and Dixie.

Our Childhood Remembrances (excerpts from Shirley’s writings)

I would not change a thing about my childhood even

I f I could. We had a very healthy, happy, quiet, boisterous

development. Mom would say if we wanted– to j ump f rom the top of the barn, Dad would only say, “ Be careful.” Dad wanted us to learn f rom experience. He taught each of us to drive on his lap when we were very young.

I remember the first time I drove alone. I was 9. Dad took me to the drainage and got out and said, “ The gear shift is like an ‘ H’ with neutral as the crossbar. Drive this home and I’ll bring the tractor.” I protested but after receiving the option to walk home(about 5 miles) I decided to try driving. The second time was on a levy and I had to back the car out. Was I scared, but I made it just like dad said I would. Dad was a cracker-barrel

philosopher. He always had a saying for everything.

I remember our summers! What fun! We spent 10 days at Camp Meeting at the Old Salem Chautauqua grounds in Petersburg. Dad furnished the meat f or the camp. We had our own cabin that mom found. We played, worshiped, dated and just enjoyed ourselves.

I remember those Sunday mornings: “ All aboard f or Pumpkin Center! Can’t get a board, get a rail!” That meant get down here and in the car, now. Dad was our Sunday School Superintendent. Mom was the preacher at our church.

I remember the mid-week Bible Studies, the orchestra ( consisting of Dixie on the trumpet, Arlene on the piano, me on the accordion or autoharp) , and sometimes others joined us. We must have been a sight because I usually hunted out one of mom’s hats to wear. We taught Sunday School classes, learned to serve God, and learned in-depth study of His Word.

I remember coming home f rom evening church and parking the car in the shed. On the way up the hill ( to the house), dad would catch up to one of us and say, “The stars are shining bright, may I see you home tonight?” We were to answer, “ The moon is shining, too, I don’t mind if you do.” or “ The moon is very dim. I think your chance is very slim.”

Mom must not have liked to watch maps because since I was around 8 or 9, I had to decide where we would go on vacation. It was not planned ahead. It was decided when we got into the car. It would be a two week trip, we were to cover as many states as possible in that time. It was hard to get dad to stop but we had a ball. We even named our car Castor Oil. We managed to see all 48 states on those summer trips. Mom was always cleaning or canning. She dusted everything everyday. She had a live-in “ hired girl”. They never got done. Mom raised 300 chickens every year to freeze and some to keep to lay eggs. We always had a large garden, too.

I remember since she talked in her sleep, we were forbidden to ask to go somewhere while she was asleep. She and Dad always took a short nap after lunch. This limited our frequency to Sugar Creek to swim, etc. We had very little assigned tasks. I recall washing the porch window sills each week and occasionally dusting. We never learned much about cooking, sewing, or deep cleaning except by observation.

I remember all of us kids with her in the drainage to get corn f or supper. She was very spontaneous. We’d ask her what we were having and she’d sing “ fried potatoes, sliced tomatoes & corn on the cob”. She was always making up rhymes. She had a little saying she often quoted us, “ A trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce, or a trouble is what you make of it. It isn’t the f act that you’re hurt that counts, only how did you take it?”

I remember mom was always there if we got in trouble at school. Dad was on the school board but mom was on our side. She told our principal she trusted us! She had a knack with discipline. You made your own rules that were much harder to follow. We attended a rural one room country school which housed eight grades until the 1940s. We rode a bus to high school.

Dad built a small country grocery store and hired a man with his daughter to run it so my mom wouldn’t have to drive into town. He also built several tenant-farmer homes, 3 were across the road from our family home on the hill. Dad gave each of us a farm after graduation from high school.

Shirley’s first marriage, to Loren McCammon, kept them in Naples, CA while he was in

the Air Force. Then they moved to Illinois into one of the homes across the road from her

folks to try farming in 1954. After a year, they moved to Kansas to work with Loren’s

family business in car sales. They met at CBI (Central Bible Institute) in Springfield,

Missouri where she studied sign language and English.

They had 3 children; Bradley Loren (7/7/53), Bruce Alan (3/31/56), Stephanie Dawn (2/26/60).

They moved back to Springfield, Missouri in 1964 so she could continue her education.

They separated in 1965 and divorced in 1966.

She received a Masters in English and began teaching High School English and

Creative Writing at Evangel College.

Summers were spent at the lake waterskiing and long visits back to Illinois. Christmas was

always in Illinois!

Shirley and David Franklin Harbin(Landscape Designer & Entrepreneur) had known

each other in social circles at church (Central Assembly of God). They began dating in

1971 and married June 30,1972.

They moved to Westminster, California in 1973 and established a real estate business.

Shirley taught at Long Beach City College.

In 1983, David & Shirley began studying calligraphy. They continued their studies

abroad in the summers (Brussels, England & Austria). They began publishing the artists

under their business, International Letter Arts. David was also a contractor and built their home in San Juan Capistrano in 1994.

2001-2016, Shirley returned to teaching High School AP English at Saddleback Valley

Christian School(SVCS) and Calligraphy at Irvine Valley College. David became the

Campus Handyman! She helped SVCS get accredited. She also was a reader for the

SAT essays in the summer in Louisville, KY.

David passed on to heaven in 2011 and Shirley retired in 2017.

Remember me with smiles & laughter

For that's how I'll remember you all

if you can only remember me with tears & Sadness

Don't Remember me at all