Shirley Mae Ross MacNaughton was born near Milroy, Minnesota on March 4, 1932, in the midst of a blinding Minnesota snowstorm and died on Sunday, March 16, 2025, in sunny San Antonio, Texas. Educated as a teacher and school librarian, she spent much of her early adult life with children in the classroom and the library. In 1954, she married John MacNaughton, a newly ordained Episcopal priest and from that time devoted herself to their work in five parishes in Minnesota, at Christ Episcopal Church, San Antonio, and as the Bishop’s wife in the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Shirley was called to the ministries of mother and teacher. She raised two boys and three girls while being a busy clergy wife. With a natural talent for study and writing and a deep devotion to Christ, she used her skills in teaching the bible and then discovered a gift for writing devotionals and commentaries on Scripture. For many years she taught Bible classes at Christ Episcopal Church, San Antonio with her husband, then later at St. Mark’s Episcopal, San Antonio using material she and her husband developed called “The Path of Life,” three years of which were published nationally by the Bible Reading Fellowship. During the years as the Bishops wife, she taught and spoke in over fifty congregations throughout the diocese. During those years, she also created a wide pastoral support ministry for clergy spouses. She contributed material on the Psalms and the book of Joshua to Guideposts, a national Bible Study Program. For over twenty years she wrote daily Bible study meditations and prayers, published by Bible Reading Fellowship, seeing this as a way to continue to share her love of God and his people. In retirement, she continued this teaching at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Her great love of music which enhanced and supported her spiritual life found its expression by singing in the choirs of the churches she and her husband served. As Shirley joins her beloved husband, mother, and father, and her brother and nine sisters in the eternal life promised by her Lord, she leaves behind her five children and their spouses: Craig MacNaughton and his wife, Cassi, Bonnie MacNaughton and her husband, Brian Kipnis, Barry MacNaughton and his wife, Patti, Kathleen MacNaughton and her husband, Stephen Farrow, and Jennifer MacNaughton and her husband Marty Bryant. She also leaves her precious gifts of her grandchildren, Jennifer and John MacNaughton, Kevin, Sean and Scott MacNaughton, Faith and Mara Kipnis, Matthew and Andrew Lyster, Stephen Copeland, and Grace Wells, and her seven great grandchildren.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2025, beginning at 9:00 a.m., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 11 St. Luke’s Lane, San Antonio, Texas 78209. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Friends of Music at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
You may watch the recording of her service through this link:
https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/mf-fwp/pl/pl_20250329-macnaughton.html
