Shirley Spellman Delbridge

Shirley Spellman Delbridge, 74, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, passed away peacefully on May 24, 2020, with her family by her side. She was born on April 12, 1946 in Jeffersonville, Indiana to the late Raymond and Alma Alexander Spellman. Her family moved to Richmond, Virginia in December of 1957, where she later graduated from Highland Springs High School in 1964. She is survived by her daughters, Chrissy White, Mary Tyler (Robbie) and Theresa Christian, as well as her two sisters Patricia Ann Spellman and Alma Rae Atkinson. She was the beloved Meemaw to her seven grandchildren, Amber & Mikey Zarger, Carter, Phillip & Molly Tyler, Brady & Georgia Christian as well as a cherished aunt to her nieces and nephews. Shirley was an entrepreneur who was ahead of her time. Using her creativity and passion for crafts, she made hand painted Christmas ornaments, wreaths and much more in the 1970’s and 1980s, selling them at neighborhood craft shows and the local Christmas Loft store. She even created her own counted cross stitch book ‘Ms. Lily Pad & Friends’, published under her business name, Shirlee’s Shenanigans, which sold in stores across the country. With the proceeds, she surprised the family by purchasing their first color television. She later would move on to jewelry making, sewing and monogramming, selling items out of her home, at local farmers markets and on Etsy. But her favorite customers were her granddaughters, who would often be found in her handmade dresses that always came with their embroidered initials. She also worked as an Office Administrator for Dr. Robert Evans, DDS. She loved being around people and her outgoing, friendly nature served her well in that position. She was a mother who made life fun and unpredictable. Even the most mundane household chores, she would turn into a game by writing the various chores to be done on individual slips of paper and would have her children draw them out of a hat to make cleaning a fun surprise. And of course, chores in her household were always accompanied by music and even Carolina Shag dancing lessons with the broom serving as their partner. She loved cooking and could make a meal out of anything she found in the cabinets. If there was a can of Campbell’s cream of anything soup, you had an instant casserole. One of her specialties was blackberry cobbler, in a big cast iron skillet of course! Whenever her family was traveling in the car and she saw blackberry bushes on the side of the road, you can bet she was pulling over and everyone was getting out to pick them. On lazy summer days when she wasn’t on the tennis courts wearing one of her handsewn skirts, you could find her sitting by the local pool (MRA) shelling butter beans until her fingers were raw; sunburned teenagers would flock to help as she could even make shelling beans the ‘cool’ thing to do. When it came to her Grandchildren, she was selfless. She could be faithfully found in the bleachers of their sporting events, school programs and getting them off the school bus. Anytime one of them was sick, just call Meemaw and she would be right there! She loved her grandchildren and always had them over for making cookies, planting flowers, eating Meemaw style tacos and playing the laughing game. They had fun filled sleepovers with popcorn and ice cream always on the menu! From Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl to Kool & The Gang’s Get Down On It, Shirley had a love for music and dancing, but we all knew that Elvis was her favorite. She enjoyed beach music and shagging, and you couldn’t help but see the beauty in life with that bright smile, infectious laugh and those sassy dance moves. She had a love for small dogs, not only the ones that were hers, but the others that she would often dog sit for as well. Even as her health declined, she would be found singing and dancing with her nurses. For the Meemaw who once biked from Mechanicsville to Lowery’s in Tappahannock, she forewent her confusion and pain to fight until the very end. With confidence, we know that her eternity includes reuniting with her parents, Alma and Shorty, walking her favorite dog Bootsawoo and snacking on a Snickers. Shirley will be memorialized in the months to come at a celebration of life complete with music, dancing and storytelling, just the way she would have wanted it. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in her name. http://act.alz.org/goto/Shirley_Delbridge