Shirley F Albritton

Shirley Albritton was born Shirley Rittenhouse on September 10, 1930, to Richard and Rena (Huser) Rittenhouse. The majority of her childhood was spent on Moschel Street in East Peoria, IL with her sister, two brothers, and many nearby cousins. Her family saw some of the effects of the depression, but she doesn’t remember too many. She did remember that there were times when even though it was dinner time and the kids ate, her parents didn’t. She often talked about her childhood with stories of how kids pitched in to work; like the time she and her siblings helped raise the house up three or four feet on jacks and then dig a basement for their family home. She also talked about the viaduct near their house where she had to cross the creek to and from school every day, the swinging bridge, her brothers and how she and her sister were always dressed alike as children.

After high school she worked at a bakery, Kraft foods, and Caterpillar. In the Early 1950s she moved to Chicago with her good friends, Jeri and Anne, to an apartment. While in Chicago, she met Moak Albritton when she went with a group of friends to his apartment to watch TV. After one of their dates, it began snowing very heavily. When he walked her back to her apartment, he asked to come up and wait out the storm. She wouldn’t let him come up to her apartment because her friends weren’t home and she sent him off to walk back to his place in a blizzard. Despite that, they continued to date and married in November 1954. They were married almost 70 years until his death in 2024.

Being a military spouse isn’t easy, especially before things like the internet and cell phones. She was active in bowling leagues and Marine Corps wives activities at each station. Moving often meant raising a family in a lot of different places. They lived in Chicago when their first daughter Pam was born. They welcomed a son in South Carolina and another daughter in Albany, GA. Until 1967, East Peoria was their home base that they would return to often. When Moak was sent to Vietnam in 1967, they purchased her childhood home in East Peoria and moved there to be near family while he was gone. They lived next door to her uncle, across the street from her parents and around the corner from her sister. When Moak returned from the war in 1969, the family moved to Kansas City where they found a place that was a little bit of country in the city and called it home for 52 years. After military life was over and retirement began, the change of Moak being home every day was one of the big adjustments Shirley had to make as a military spouse. She made a deal with him that he could have the outside, but that the inside of the house was her domain. She eventually went to work part time at Montgomery Wards outlet where she was able to buy Cabage Patch Dolls and beanie babies during the craze as well as get big discounts on appliances, snowsuits, coats (some of which are still worn), clothes and shoes for her family.

Shirley was very resourceful and talented while raising a family. She sewed a lot of her kids clothes as well as stuffed animals and child size Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that were given as gifts and were auctioned off as prizes. She also made pecan pies that were sold as fundraisers and taken to many events (there were never leftovers to bring back home). Her “brown rice” recipe will always be a staple at any family gathering and even though we have her brisket recipe, it will never taste as good. She spent her extra time going to movies with her childhood friend Jeri who had also settled in the Kansas City area. Shirley enjoyed playing cards and was a voracious reader of nonfiction. She had a great sense of humor, loved Seinfeld, the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, as well as Mel Brooks movies. There was always a look of surprise on the face of the person lucky enough to find out her guilty pleasures; she rarely shared but always had a smile and twinkle in her eye when she did. Shirley also appreciated an occasional good whiskey, glass of wine, or a beer on a warm day.

She left us on May 31, 2026 at the age of 95. She was the matriarch for a very long time and will be dearly missed.

Shirley leaves behind a sister in law, Rose Rittenhouse, daughter Pam (Lew), son Dan, daughter Stephanie (Mark). Grandchildren Brett (Andrea), Richie (Shea), Ben (Kam), Bailey (Mathew), Gwen Danielle (Li), and Jake. Great Grandchildren Alex, Eleanor, Claire, Graham, Drew, Rhett, Elliott, Beau, and Colter, as well as many nieces and nephews, and her beloved niece Kathy (Ed).

She outlived her mother and father, brother Richard (Bud) Rittenhouse, Alberta (Bert) Rittenhouse, brother Robert (Bob) Rittenhouse, Husband J. Moak Albritton, all her aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as her lifelong friends.

The family will have a small private celebration of life for Shirley.

In lieu of flowers, you can make a contribution to the American Heart Association. This was an organization that Shirley supported for years.