Shirley Mays Sanders

Shirley Mays Sanders was born during the Great Depression in the front bedroom of her Aunt Nellie’s home on a cold February day. She went to her eternal home January 2. It was a day she looked forward to.

Her life was full of charitable giving, missionary works, and a strong sense of adventure.

Shirley was born to Jorge and Ola Irish. She spent a lot of young childhood with extended family in Edna and felt loved and doted on. After her parents divorced she and Ola lived in San Antonio. She was nicknamed “little Shirley” by the neighborhood kids. She attended Eleanor Brackenridge Elementary, Ursuline Academy Boarding School, and Thomas Jefferson High School.

Soon after arriving in San Antonio, Ola and Shirley roomed with Ida and Bob Smith who Shirley considered her adopted grandparents. They took her to church. Ida was a beautiful Christian lady. Their daughter, Tommie, became her greatest influence in her formative years. Tommie was a charitable person, and no doubt that model greatly shaped who Shirley would become. She finished high school in Houston at San Jacinto while living with Tommie & Jim Williams. Shirley said that year was the happiest she had been in her early life.

In 1948 she enrolled in Sam Houston State College studying elementary education. Shirley said college was fun, fun, fun. She was part of Eclectic which became Alpha Chi Omega. She made the Dean’s list most semesters.

During her first summer break from college she was back in Edna where she met Jerry Mays. His parents had purchased a diner there. Jerry was attending Allen Military School in Bryan. They kept up with each other through college. During Shirley’s senior year they got engaged. By then Jerry was a 1st year student at Baylor Medical School.

Jerry and Shirley’s pink wedding was in 1953. Shirley often remarked that their first years of marriage “they were poor as church mice” getting by on her teaching salary and a few odd jobs but were as “happy as if we had good sense!”Their first child, Scott, was born in Corpus Christi in 1955 during Jerry’s residency. Daughter Sandy was born in 1958 during an Army stint in South Carolina. Later that year the young family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas where they got involved in the local church and the medical society. During this time Shirley made lifelong friendships with Jeannie Paxton, Stanley and Marie Shipp, John and Joy Wilson, and Harold and Wanna Cox.

The family thrived in Lake Jackson. They planned to never leave until…they got the call to move to Chimala, Tanzania, East Africa at the end of 1962. There was an urgent need for a doctor. They left exactly two months after that call. The goal was to build a hospital while doing missionary work in remote areas. Every day in Africa was different with emergencies of every kind. Snakes, lions, bats, malaria, wildfires and medical supply shortages were all part of their daily challenges.

Africa was the watershed of their lives. Shirley found missionary work rewarding which she continued with mission trips to Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India, the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, and Austria. She and Wanna also made a trip around the world in 1969. Shirley’s final trip was to Haiti at age 85.

The family returned to Lake Jackson in 1964 where they welcomed their third child Jon three years later. Jerry passed away unexpectedly in 1973. Shortly thereafter, the family welcomed Kim Nguyen from Vietnam as an adopted member of the family. During this time, Shirley continued to do volunteer and charity works through the local church, medical society, Scouts, and the local auxiliary.Shirley met R.L. Sanders in 1977 and went on their first date in his hometown, Houston. They married in 1980 and moved to San Antonio. She never wanted to leave Lake Jackson, but returning to the city she knew as a child made it bearable. She said “Marrying RL was the smartest thing I ever did because he was the dearest, most patient man in the world.”

In 1990, RL and Shirley spent a year in Vienna, Austria working for an outreach team delivering Bibles to Eastern European countries. Not only did they enjoy the work there, but they also made several pleasure trips around Europe. This is when Shirley got her “Black Belt” in flea market shopping.

Back in San Antonio Shirley was involved in the church in a number of ways. She also volunteered at the Santa Rosa Hospital rocking babies and at the Ivy Cottage (the hospital thrift store). She also celebrated regularly with a church ladies’ birthday club. These women were some of her closest friends. RL and Shirley frequently hosted dinner parties for out of town guests. Traveling in the US and abroad continued to be a fun priority.

In 2012 RL and Shirley heard about a new home for abandoned and at-risk babies in Tanzania started by Mike and Dorris Fortson. Shirley had known Mike in 1963 in Chimala. This new home would become Neema Village. Shirley loved and supported those babies for the rest of her days. She made one trip there. In lieu of flowers, Shirley wanted donations to Neema Village. https://neemavillage.org

Shirley will be remembered for her positive spirit and the way that she could turn any event into a party. Her generosity was felt by so many. She noticed people around her that needed a helping hand and would eagerly step in to assist. We will never know all the people she helped in small and large ways. She leaves this world a bit better. In Wanna’s words “God has blessed you and us through you.” She will be missed.

Shirley looked forward to the heavenly reunion of family and dear friends who went before her particularly her adopted grandparents, parents, in-laws, Jerry Mays, RL Sanders, Laura Otey, Wanna Cox, Stanley and Marie Shipp, Elouise Prater, Tommie Williams and her birthday club ladies Lola, Betty, & Elaine.

She would want to express her love and affection for those she left behind: Scott and Cheri Mays, Sandy and John Hood, Jon and Amanda Mays, Steve Sanders, Bob and Kaye Otey, Lisa and Steve Higgason, Kim and Dien Duong. She adored her eight grandchildren Aaron (Julie), Lauren, Stephanie (Ludvig), Cory (Alex), Cassidy, Caitlin, Brock, and Leighton. She cherished three great grandbabies Beatrix, Sam, and Axel.

God blessed Shirley with an extended family circle including DeeAnn (Tom, Aurora, Tommy), Leslee (Emilee), Robb (Serisa), Matt (Trisha), Kirstin, Peter (Amy), and Jonathan. She loved and cared about each one.Shirley would have wanted to acknowledge her beloved church family of 43 years Sunset Ridge Church of Christ. A special thanks to the staff at Aging Gracefully for their care of Shirley over the past 10 months. Ica Regus was Shirley’s caregiver and friend. She spent more time with Shirley than anyone else for over eight years. Thank you Ica.