Shirley Shepard Chalkley

Shirley Delores Shepard Chalkley, 90, a resident of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, died on Sunday, July 20, 2025. She was born on February 9, 1935, at Seaboard, Washington County, Alabama, to Audrey Powell and Lloyd Clinton Shepard, and was the oldest of three daughters. She was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Lester Chalkley; a sister, Joan Shepard Horton; a brother-in-law, Bobby Horton; and a son-in-law, Drew White.

She is survived by two sons, Les Chalkley Jr. (Sallie) of Mountain Brook, and Clint Chalkley of Hoover; a daughter, Lynn Chalkley White, of Tuscaloosa; a sister, Charlene Schmitz of Leroy; granddaughters, Casey Chalkley of Baltimore, MD, Mallory White Hudson (Josh) of Franklin, TN, and Madison White Swanson (Tracy) of Austin, TX; grandsons, Clinton Chalkley II (Katie) of Cullman, Shepard Chalkley (Codi) of Jacksonville, FL, Haynes Chalkley of Tuscaloosa, and Ethan Chalkley of Chelsea.

She is also survived by nephews, John Horton (Tracy) of Tuscaloosa and Jared (Alexandra) Thomas of Jackson; nieces, Gena Richardson of Montgomery, and Tanya Thomas of Birmingham; great grandchildren, Julien and Alexander Chalkley of Baltimore, MD, Sadie, Tyson, and Derrick Chalkley of Cullman, Gracie and Brooks Chalkley of Jacksonville, FL, Harris Hudson of Franklin, TN, and Drew and Sutton Swanson of Austin, TX.

She grew up in Leroy, Alabama, and graduated from Leroy High School. She then attended Alabama College in Montevallo, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1956. She later received a Master of Education degree from the University of South Alabama in Secondary Education. After graduating from college, she moved to Birmingham and started in a buyer training program at Loveman’s Department Store, where she met her future husband, Lester Chalkley. She worked there for a whopping four months, when she quit because she couldn’t get the day off for the Alabama - Auburn football game - she chose the game! A few months later, on February 14, 1957, Shirley and Lester wed in the chapel of First Methodist Church of Birmingham.

During the Birmingham years, Mom was busy giving birth to three children, working a few jobs, including as the administrative assistant to the VP of the Master Card Department at First National Bank of Birmingham. She enjoyed helping to set up the MC department and was eventually hired by Exchange Security Bank to help set up their Master Card department. She also involved herself with the Jaycettes, holding several positions, including being a co-chairman for the Veterans Day parade.

She was also very involved, including serving on the state executive committee, in the early days of the Alabama Republican Party.

In 1971, Shirley and her family moved to Leroy to help with her ill father. She began teaching in 1972, when she was hired by the Clarke County School System to teach 6th-grade math at Wilson Hall Middle School in Grove Hill. She would eventually teach at Harper Middle School, Clarke County High School, and Jackson High School, all in Clarke County. In her last year, she moved into the Counselor’s Office after receiving her certification in guidance and counseling.

She moved to Tuscaloosa in 1990 and worked as an elementary counselor at Flatwoods Elementary School in Northport, retiring from the education field in May of 1998. She was then able to work in the family business, Water Works Pool & Spa, where she was a fixture until the last couple of years!

We can’t end this without mentioning the “elephant in the room.” Mom was a huge University of Alabama sports fan, huge being an understatement! Though she supported all of the sports, she was partial to men’s basketball, holding season tickets since the late 1970s. While in her eighties, she drove herself to away games in Baton Rouge, LA, Athens, GA, Oxford, MS, and Columbia, SC, and was excited to fly on the team plane a few times along the way. She supported it all! She loved the players, the coaches, the support staff, the folks in the ticket office, the ushers, the time-keepers - all of them! And a whole bunch loved her back!!

She had a big heart; she loved and was loved! We will miss her. She lived a good life!

A Graveside Service will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Memory Hill Gardens.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm on Saturday, August 16, 2025, in the Sanctuary at First Baptist Church, followed by a Memorial Service at 3:00 pm with Bro. Keith Pugh officiating.