Shirley S. Connell

Shirley Shell Connell, age 88, passed away November 6, 2021, after a slow decline. Shirley was born in Columbus, Ohio, to the late Marie (Steinhoff) Shell and Fred Shell, Sr. She is survived by daughters, Deborah Connell Streb (and her husband, Joseph S. Streb) of Upper Arlington and Sherry Connell Baffert of Huntington Beach, California; brother, Fred Shell (and his wife, Linda) of Columbus; and sister, Susie Sypher (and her husband, George) of Oxnard, California. She graduated from Columbus West High School in 1951. She earned bachelor and master's degrees in education from The Ohio State University, and she proudly taught in the Columbus Public Schools for many years. She was married to the late Thomas Connell of Columbus and lived most of her married life in the Eastmoor area of Columbus before moving to Upper Arlington and then to Friendship Village of Dublin. Shirley was a devoted mother and grandmother to seven grandchildren, Joseph T. Streb (Lidia), Stephanie A. Streb, Sterling Streb Boyadziev (Kristian), Taylor Baffert, Canyon Baffert (Kirsten), Forest Baffert, and Savannah Baffert. She was an ardent OSU football fan, and proud Buckeye alumnae. She was especially fond of David Lighthill, fellow resident of Friendship Village of Dublin with whom she shared many interests. Shirley was special to all who knew her well, and her life-long desire to educate the children wherever they may be found will not soon be forgotten. Shirley and her family wish to thank the staff at Friendship Village of Dublin and Kobacker House for their kind and caring service and attention. There will be a short memorial service at Schoedinger Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, 43221 on November 15, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a graveside service at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 5600 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43213. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Young Minds program at Columbus Metropolitan Library as children's learning was Shirley's passion: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/foundation/donate/