Lawrence "Larry" Elman Shirley

Larry was born February 7, 1921, in Mathiston, Miss., and grew up in Reform, Ala. He graduated from Pickens County High School in Reform. Thereafter, he attended Athens College in Athens, Ala. before enlisting in the U.S. Navy at the start of World War II. During his service in the Navy, Larry served on two aircraft carriers in the Pacific, the USS Shangri-La and the USS Ticonderoga.

After the war, Larry enrolled in the University of Alabama and graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering and geology. He then furthered his studies in geology at the University of Kentucky towards a master’s degree. During this period, he also worked for the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1948, he married Onzelle Duckworth of Palmetto, Ala. They had two children, a daughter Pamela, and a son Larry Jr.

After leaving graduate school, Larry worked for U.S. Steel in Birmingham and then joined the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Asheville, N.C. In 1955, he transferred to Norris, Tenn., where he worked at the Bureau’s R&D facility. In 1960, he joined the Bureau’s regional office in Knoxville, Tenn. and served there until 1970, when he took on the post of State Liaison for the Bureau of Mines for North Carolina and Virginia, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. He retired from this position in 1979.

In 1983, Larry and his wife, Onzelle Duckworth Shirley, moved back to Alabama and resided in Tuscaloosa. He was an active member of the Trinity United Methodist Church, serving many years in the community on various administrative and financial boards, as well as teaching Sunday School. He also served as a leader and officer of the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the National Audubon Society. As part of his years with Audubon, he established a bluebird trail at Lake Lurleen State Park, building and installing numerous bluebird houses along the Park’s trails.

In 1986, his wife Onzelle passed away after a valiant battle with cancer. In 1993, he married Inez Sims Johnson, originally of Greensboro, Ala. Together, they shared nearly 20 wonderful years.

Larry was preceded in death by his mother, Myrtle Shumaker Shirley, and father, Alonzo Monk Shirley; brothers, Roy and Fred Shirley and Gene Bowling; sisters, Ophelia Spruill and Patty Guillot; his first wife, Onzelle Duckworth Shirley; and his grandson, David Lawrence Gunn Shirley.

Larry is survived by his wife, Inez Sims Johnson Shirley of Tuscaloosa; as well as daughter, Pamela Beth Shirley (husband Peter Wong) of Lexington, Ky.; son, Larry E. Shirley Jr. (wife Anita Gunn Shirley) of Chapel Hill, N.C.; stepdaughter, Glenda Hinson (husband Andy Hinson) of Tuscaloosa; stepson, Duane Johnson (wife Nara Johnson) of Silas, Ala.; brothers, Ben Shirley of San Diego, Calif. and Ray Shirley of Centreville, Va.; grandson, Christopher Joseph Gunn Shirley of Berkeley, Calif.; step-grandchildren, Angie Pate of Carrollton, Paul Hinson of Tuscaloosa, Lesley Anglin of Tuscaloosa, and Scott and Tyler Johnson of Millbrook; and six step-great-grandchildren.

Services will be 3 p.m. Thursday, April 11, 2013, at Trinity United Methodist Church with Rev. Penny Ford officiating and Dan Kilgore assisting. Burial will follow in Memory Hill Gardens with Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will precede the service from 2 to 3 p.m. at the church.

Pallbearers will be Paul Hinson, Christopher Shirley, Bill Shaffer, Peter Wong, Lin Pate, and Duane Johnson.

Honorary pallbearers are Fellowship Sunday School Class, members of Trinity United Methodist Church, and neighbors.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 729 Paul Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401; or the Birmingham Audubon Society, McWane Science Center, 200 19th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203.

Condolences may be offered at www.heritagechapeltuscaloosa.com.