On June 30, 1941, Dallas Edward Williams and Bessie Belle Wagoner Williams were blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Shirley Ann Williams. On September 30, 2026, Shirley went to live eternally with our Lord God. In her early years, Shirley lived an idyllic life in her beloved Uvalde, Texas, with her hard working father and fiercely protective mother. Shirley loved playing with her friends in her backyard where a huge fig tree grew and riding the zip line that her father had built for her. One of her favorite pastimes was riding down the Oak Street hill in her red wagon. Shirley took dance lessons from a neighborhood friend who had been a professional ballerina. Later, Shirley discovered basketball and baton twirling. She was on the high school basketball team until she became the drum major for the Uvalde High School Class of 1959 Coyotes band. She participated in parades on Getty Street and enjoyed riding around Uvalde in Pepper Kincaid’s pink Jeep with her friends.
After leaving high school, Shirley went to Corpus Christi to study for a nursing career. Life events prevented her from continuing, and she eventually moved to San Antonio during Hemisfair ‘68. This is when she met Charles D. Owen, the love of her life. They were married on September 21, 1968.
Shirley had two children—Willie and Dana—from a previous marriage, and not long after her marriage to Charles, her children came to live with them, and she became a full-time stay-at-home wife and mother. In 1971, the Owen family moved to Leon Valley and Shirley joined the Northside School District PTA. Throughout her many years of service in the PTA, Shirley held multiple positions including: President of the Leon Valley Elementary PTA, President of the John Marshall High School PTA, and ultimately President of the Northside Council of PTAs, when she was honored with a Lifetime Membership. She was a member of the Leon Valley Historical Society. With Linda Persyn as president and Shirley as vice president, the LVHS gained title to the Huebner/Onion Homestead and began to raise funds for its restoration.
When the Historical Society of Helotes was on the brink of being dissolved, Shirley stepped up to take the office of president to lead the revival and reorganization of the Society. Once the Society was on its feet, Shirley stepped aside as president and at the organization’s 50th Anniversary Gala in 2016, she was presented with a Lifetime Membership award. Shirley spent years in and around Helotes and Leon Valley working for the community newspaper, “The Helotes Echo,” as photographer, reporter, and office manager. Because of her involvement with the Leon Valley Chamber of Commerce and the fundraising efforts for the Huebner/Onion Homestead, Shirley became very active in the annual KLRN TV Blazing Gavels Auction.
Shirley was a devoted daughter to her mother and father who came to live with her and Charles during the last years of their lives. She lived a long, happy life raising her children and participating in their extracurricular school activities. Shirley deeply loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, often lamenting the distances that separated her from them. She referred to them living in “Planet Virginia” and “Planet Arizona.” She was fortunate enough to meet and cuddle her first great-grandchild, Della June Benoit, before the COVID pandemic sent everyone into isolation.
Shirley is survived by her beloved husband of fifty-eight years, Charles Douglas Owen (San Antonio); son Willie Jess Whitley (Cynthia Whitley), Manassas, Virginia: daughter Dana Elaine Whitley Benoit (Louis “Lou” Joseph Benoit), Glendale, Arizona; four grandchildren: Samantha Alicia Benoit, Jonah Douglas Whitley, Hayley Verne Whitley, and Marcel Jeaneau Benoit (Morgan Lee Davis Benoit); three great-grandchildren: Della June Benoit, Elaina Lee Benoit, and Olivia James Benoit; and sister Deborah Read (William), Del Rio, Texas; and soon to be a forth great-grandchild whose name will be Hallie (middle name to be determined) Benoit.
The family would like to thank all her friends and family for their love and kindness during this difficult time. Thanks also go to the Holy Savior Hospice team. Special thanks to Shirley’s personal care providers Ruth and Francisco Duque.
Visitation will be held at Sunset Northwest Funeral Home, 6321 Bandera Road, San Antonio, Texas 78238, on October 6, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and again on October 7, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.
A Funeral Service will be held at Sunset Northwest Funeral Home, 6321 Bandera Road, San Antonio, Texas 78238, on October 7, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
A Committal Service will be held at San Fernando Cemetery III, 1735 Cupples Road, San Antonio, Texas 78226, on October 7, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm.
In addition to flowers, donations can also be made in Shirley’s name to the Leon Valley Historical Society, Huebner Onion Homestead, Helotes Historical Society or Dementia/Alzheimer’s Foundation.
