Shirley Green Routh

COLUMBIA - A private family funeral service for Shirley Green Routh, 89, will be held Saturday in Columbia, S.C., with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.

Mrs. Routh passed away suddenly Wednesday, July 15, 2020, while on vacation at Edisto Beach, surrounded by her family. Born in Jackson, Mississippi on December 3, 1930, she was a daughter of the late John Thompson Green, Jr. and Julia Hortense Mullen Green.

Shirley grew up in Sumter, graduated from Edmunds High School and attended Winthrop College. While working at a radio station in Rock Hill during college, she met the love of her life, Foster M. "Bill" Routh, to whom she was married for 64 years, before his death in 2015. After moving to Columbia, Bill quickly made her a Gamecock fan for life and she loved going to games with their friends, both at home and on road trips. In later years, she never missed a game on television. She also shared Bill's love for golf, particularly The Masters Tournament in Augusta, which she attended every April for almost fifty years.

She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Columbia since 1953, where she was a former president of the Women's Missionary Union and a member of the Living Word Sunday School Class. Shirley was a member of the Mayflower Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ann Pamela Cuningham Chapter.

Her nurturing spirit was evidenced through a lifetime of service to her family, friends, church and community. She volunteered for more than 30 years at Baptist Hospital, serving grieving families visiting loved ones in the ICU. She served as a docent at Historic Columbia’s Hampton Preston Mansion and as an election poll worker for many years.

Upon Bill's retirement in 1988, they traveled the world together, visiting 49 foreign countries and 49 of the 50 United States (sorry, North Dakota). She adored her three grandsons and loved going to their sporting events, from T-Ball through their high school football and baseball games.

After Bill's passing, Shirley moved into Atria Forest Lake and enjoyed "Kings on the Corner" card games, seeing old friends and making new ones. She was an expert Bridge player and continued playing regularly until the pandemic. She enjoyed the activities at Atria and more often than not, she was the one who yelled "Bingo!" and went back to her room with the candy prizes. An avid reader, particularly of history and the South, she read three to five books a week. The family would like to thank the kind staff at Atria for their loving care over the last four years.

Surviving are her sons, Foster M. “Billy” Routh III of Columbia and John H. Routh of Miami, Florida; daughters, Carol P. Routh, Shirley G. “Sisi” Routh, Zoe Susan Routh, and Julia Routh Carlton (Paige) all of Columbia; grandchildren, Lucas Paige Carlton, Foster Miller "Mills" Carlton, and John Parker Carlton; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Foster M. "Bill" Routh; brother, John Thompson "Tommy" Green III; and sister, Zadah Beth DeLorme.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Baptist Church Television Ministry, 1306 Hampton Street, Columbia, S.C. 29201 or to a charity of your choice in her name.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.