COLUMBIA - Shirley McDaniel Shannon passed away on March 14, 2020, at the age of 89. Born August 31, 1930, in Pickens, SC, she was one of six children of James Henry Grace and Grace Hendricks McDaniel of Pickens. She was predeceased by husband Edward M. Shannon, Jr. and five siblings, Elizabeth Brice of Woodward, SC, Allene Switzer of N. Wilksboro, NC, Margaret Parshall of Elkhart, IN, Genevieve Dukes of Orangeburg, SC, and James McDaniel of Neeses, SC. She is survived by son Edward M. Shannon, III and wife, Patti, of Columbia, SC, and daughter Catherine Grace Shannon, also of Columbia.
Those who knew her well called her “Polly”, a nickname she had since childhood. Many said that, as a child, she looked like actress Shirley Temple, for there was a remarkable resemblance between the two. All the McDaniel sisters graduated from Winthrop College and became school teachers, except Polly. She gave Winthrop a try, but decided that college was not for her and that she would rather raise a family and stay home with her children. And what a wonderful job she did!
After both children were successfully “out of the nest”, Polly had a number of jobs, but began volunteering at the Patient Information Desk at Baptist Medical Center in Columbia. When her health required her to stop some time later, she had over 20 years of volunteer service at Baptist and was awarded a service certificate by the hospital.
Polly was an avid Clemson fan with both her husband and son being Clemson graduates. Rarely did she miss watching a Tiger football game where she would be decked out in her orange Clemson apparel. She was also a big fan of watching the PGA Tour golf on TV. Her favorite players were Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, and she loved watching them both, particularly at The Masters.
A memorial drop-in will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Discretionary Scholarship Program at SC Independent Colleges & Universities, PO Box 12007, Columbia, SC, 29211.
The family would like to extend a special “thank you” to the staff at the Agape Hospice House in Columbia. They were all very caring and compassionate and kept Polly very comfortable until she entered the gates of Heaven.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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