Lillian Marie Shelby Scruggs

After beating her struggles with cancer, Marie was unable to fully recover from its associated effects and passed away peacefully, with her family by her side, Sunday, June 28, 2015. Born to Leslie and Lily Shelby in 1946, Marie was raised with five brothers and one sister in Pensacola. She attended local schools and finished her education at Pensacola Junior College.

Marie’s lifelong passion was music and she started her singing career at the lunch counter at Woolworth’s Five and Dime as a young teen. She went on to earn a living for over 40 years singing country music in various clubs in Northwest Florida and South Alabama. She also had the pleasure of singing at Tootsie’s in Nashville and was pursued by talent scouts, but declined so that she could be at home to raise her children. She retired from her band, E Z Breeze, in 1995, and later retired from the Department of Labor, Agency for Workforce Innovation in 2011.

Marie was playful, and loved to laugh, sing, and dance with her family and friends. She loved walking on the beach; and wading, fishing, and crabbing along the shoreline. She enjoyed painting plaster craft and ceramics, and piddling in the yard with her roses and lilies. She loved the holidays, but especially cherished all the wonder of the Christmas season, and could spend hours meandering through the aisles of a Christmas shop picking out the perfect decorations or toys for the children.

Marie was committed to and cherished her husband, her children and her grandchildren. She was the source of our strength and our pride, and shared her unconditional love, her endless support, and her grounded approach to life with each of us. Marie was one of those rare people whose compassion and love for others was immeasurable. She will be sorely missed, never forgotten, and will continue to serve as a pillar of strength and commitment to our family.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her loving and dedicated husband Harry Scruggs, her children Jason Brown and Stacey (& Jerry) Wright, her grandchildren Krista, Zack, Jake, Josh, Jazz, and Taylor; her brothers Dozier (& Shirley) Barnes, Bud Shelby, and Bill Shelby; her sister, Alma Gunn; her former husband and father of her children Curtis Brown, along with many nieces, nephews, and blended and extended family members.

Marie is predeceased by her parents, her brother Jimmy Shelby and sister-in-law Ruthie Shelby, her brother Stan Shelby, and former husband and bandmate Ken Abercrombie.

Funeral services will be provided Thursday, July 2nd, at Oak Lawn Funeral Home. Her viewing will be held beginning at 12:00 p.m., with services at 1:30 p.m., followed by a brief graveside committal at the Myrtle Grove Cemetery. As she had always requested, Marie will be laid to rest beside her mother, Lily Shelby. Pall bearers include Jason Brown, Zack Gilbert, Jake Brown, Josh Brown, Bill Shelby, and Stu Shelby.

A Legacy of Love

A wife, a mother, a Nanny too, this is the legacy we have from you.

You taught us love and how to fight, you gave us strength, you gave us might.

A stronger person would be hard to find, and in your heart, you were always kind.

You fought for us all in one way or another, not just as a wife, not just as a mother.

For all of us you gave your best, now the time has come for you to rest.

So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep.

Your love in our hearts, we’ll eternally keep.

Author Unknown