Shirley Jackman

Shirley was born in Walla Walla, Washington on May 2, 1936. She graduated from Lewis & Clark High School and began working at Washington Water Power on the night shift immediately following graduation. She learned to like strong coffee at this job.

Shirley married Harold Blankenship, moving several times due to Hal’s work in sales. Shirley remained in Spokane, Washington after Hal’s death, raising their two children and working at Sherwood & Roberts.

Shirley met Allan Jackman several years later. They immediately “fell in like”, which turned into an enduring love. Shirley and Al married in 1979. Al was a pilot in the Air Force at the time, and the family made the move from Washington to Oklahoma in 1980 when Al was transferred to Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City. Al and Shirley moved to Oklahoma City after all the children were grown.

Shirley worked as an Executive Secretary for Midland Mortgage Co., Phillips Petroleum, and Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company. She was also an active member of Executive Women International (EWI), holding several offices, including President.

In Shirley’s spare time, she liked traveling, lazing in the pool, sewing, home decorating, shopping, reading trashy romance novels, and watching TV, especially crime dramas and Fox News.

Shirley is survived by her husband, Al; her son, Greg (Christie) Blankenship; her daughter, Tami (Erich) Bayless; her step-daughters, Wendi (Wayne) Stoken and Tracey Turner; and her grandchildren, Megan, Aubrey, Orin, Christopher, Alex, and Jessica.

A private family funeral for Shirley will be held at 10:00 am on January 8th, 2021 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City.