Shirley Mae Siler

Shirley was born on October 16, 1942, in Springfield, Missouri. She eventually made her way to Bentonville in the early 1970s, where she built a life centered around the people she loved most. Shirley was a fiercely caring and loyal wife, mother, Nana, sister, and friend. She loved her family deeply, and anyone who knew her knew just how proud she was of them.

Shirley spent part of her working life as a shipping clerk at Gordos before moving into the corporate world of retail. She was highly regarded during her years at Walmart, where she worked as a merchandise assistant before retiring. She took pride in her work, but her greatest sense of accomplishment came from the family and home she built.

Shirley had a personality all her own. She loved collecting knickknacks of just about every kind, and her home was proof of it. There was a little something to catch your eye everywhere you looked. But there was one sure way to lose something Shirley owned: tell her you liked it. She would probably try to give it to you.

For all the things she collected, though, nothing meant more to Shirley than her family. Photographs of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren filled her home, far outnumbering the knickknacks. They were her most treasured collection.

Her family remembers her not only for the love she gave so freely, but for the little moments that became the stories they will carry with them forever.

Her cousin Arla remembers being little with Shirley, when their dogs somehow managed to dig up Granny’s flower bed. Granny was not happy. The dogs disappeared from sight after that, and it wasn’t until only a few years ago that Arla finally learned what had really happened to them. Shirley and Arla also had a habit of turning their bus fare into something much more important in their young minds: ice cream. Rather than ride the bus to junior high, they would spend their bus money on a sweet treat and figure out the rest later.

Those little adventures say something about Shirley. She knew how to have fun, how to laugh, and how to make ordinary moments memorable.

Some of her family’s fondest memories were made outdoors. Mitchell, Matthew, and Michael remember Nana and Johnny taking them camping at the creek. Those trips became more than just camping trips; they became pieces of childhood that stayed with them long after they had grown up.

And then there were the traditions that simply would not have been Christmas without Nana. On Christmas Eve, everyone could count on Shirley having red Jell-O and Velveeta cheese dip waiting alongside the presents. It was simple, familiar, and hers—and those are often the traditions people miss the most.

Shirley was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Donna Marie Smith.

She leaves behind her beloved husband of 37 years, Johnny Siler of Bentonville; her brother, Jimmy Dale Printy; and her sons, Rickie Lee Smith and wife Lisa, Esytle Smith and wife Angel, Roy Laverne “Skipper” Smith and wife Christine, and Bobbie Carl Smith.

She was a proud Nana to Mitchell Smith; Matthew Smith and wife Emily; Michael Smith and wife Denise; Manda Smith and fiancé David Costlow; Katie Hollingshead and husband Max; Joey Smith and wife Tricia; and Sara Smith.

Her legacy continues through her great-grandchildren, Parker Smith, Lucas Smith, Sophie Smith, Maya Smith, Bellamy Costlow, Ember Costlow, and Radyn Costlow, along with several beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Shirley will be remembered for her loyalty, her generosity, her wonderfully unique personality, and most of all, the love she had for her family. She was the kind of mother and Nana who made sure you knew you were loved—not just through the big things, but through the food on the table, the traditions at Christmas, the photographs on the walls, the camping trips to the creek, and the little things she wanted to share with you.

Her home may have been filled with many things she had collected over the years, but the greatest thing Shirley ever collected was a lifetime of memories with the people she loved.

And those memories will remain, long after the knickknacks are gone, the Christmas presents have been opened, and the red Jell-O and cheese dip have become stories told around another family’s table.

Shirley Mae Siler was deeply loved. She will be deeply missed. And she will be remembered.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to Circle of Life Hospice or ALS Association; links below.