Shirley Lavern Lafferty

Shirley Lavern Scogin Lafferty, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, nurse, servant, and faithful child of God, went home to be with the Lord on April 24, 2026 at the age of 79. Her passing came before any of us were ready and before any of us saw it coming. She still had plans on the calendar, recipes in her mind, people to love, flowers to tend, and summer days she was looking forward to. But Shirley knew where she was going, and she lived with the confidence of a woman whose hope was firmly anchored in God.

To call Shirley a Proverbs 31 woman is not simply a beautiful phrase; it is an honest description of the life she lived. She was strong, capable, generous, wise, faithful, and fearless. She had a fire in her and a confidence that rose to meet every challenge. She was an RN by training, but she was a nurturer by nature. Caring for people was not only her profession; it was her calling.

Shirley graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, and moved to Houston, where she worked for Banana Importers as an executive secretary. While living in Houston, she met Ted Lafferty Sr. at their apartment complex. She was 21, he was 25, and as the family story goes, he had to work hard to convince her to go out with him. They married on September 30, 1967, and began their life together in Houston.

Their first son, Ted Jr., was born in 1969. In late 1972, the family moved to Singapore, where their second son, Tim, was born in 1973. Shirley embraced their years overseas with her usual enthusiasm. She became an avid bowler, made dear friends, and developed a lifelong affection for Singapore, its people, and its food. In 1976, the family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, where Shirley made her home for more than four decades. In 1977, she welcomed her sweet baby girl, Teresa Beth.

Life brought hard seasons, but Shirley met them with courage. After her divorce at 43 years old, she started over. She returned to school at Lamar while living 4 days a weeks with her brother Robert and his wife Dolly, also working as an LPN while pursuing her RN. She went on to serve at Lafayette General Hospital, in Opelousas, and New Iberia. She became known for her skill, determination, and compassion - serving as Head of Wound Care and Director of Nursing, and often being the person called when no one else could start the difficult IV or PICC line. She received numerous awards and recognitions for excellence in nursing, but her greatest reward was always helping the person in front of her.

Shirley loved her family with abandon. When her boys went to Texas A&M, she cooked for weeks, packed meals in coolers, and stocked their refrigerator and freezer so they would have plenty to eat. She served for decades as a counselor and camp nurse at Dry Creek Camp, where in 1997 she met Jennie and promptly began matchmaking for her 27-year-old bachelor son. The story is too long to tell here, but nearly 30 years later, Shirley was right - a fact she reminded everyone of often. When her son-in-law Stephen came into the family, she loved him instantly and well. She treasured that he called her “Lavern,” and he helped her more times than anyone could count. In February 2026, Shirley traveled to Costa Rica for Tim and Mel’s beautiful wedding, where she gave a heartfelt speech, danced with her son, and looked forward to knowing and loving Mel even more.

Her grandchildren - Andrew, Rachel, Daniel, Xandre, and Mila - were her pride and joy. Shirley was an excellent, doting, over-the-top grandmother in all the best ways. Nana Christmas was legendary. Her Christmas village became a beloved tradition, and in recent years she invited children over for a decorations tour. Each year the event grew, and this year it even included treat bags, because Shirley could never make an occasion special enough.

She was a woman of traditions. New Year’s Day meant Hoppin’ John, greens, and cornbread. Easter meant egg hunts, decorated cookies, brunch, Sunday lunch, desserts, crawfish and pock eggs. Thanksgiving was a pie festival with far more pies than any family could possibly eat, because she was thinking of everyone’s favorite. She decorated for every holiday, cooked with joy, and made every gathering feel like a memory worth keeping.

Shirley also loved gardening, flowers, and the quiet joy of helping living things thrive. In Lafayette, she tended a huge flower bed with the same care and devotion she gave to everything else, and she continued loving her flowerbeds after moving here. For Shirley, it was never just gardening. It was nurturing. She loved caring for her plants, watching them grow, bringing beauty out of the soil, and creating something lovely for others to enjoy. It was another reflection of who she was: a woman who noticed what needed care, gave it her full attention, and helped it flourish.

Shirley had a remarkable gift for noticing the small things, and in many ways, that was part of her magic. She noticed a new piece of jewelry, a fresh haircut, a new decoration, a bloom in the flower bed, or some little detail that others might have missed. And she did not just notice - she delighted in it. She poured her heart and soul into the small things, because to her, small things were never small when they made someone feel seen, loved, or celebrated. She always painted her nails and made a tremendous effort to be beautifully and meticulously dressed wherever she went. She kept every piece of clothing that ever crossed her doorstep and had a true talent for putting things together in attractive, creative, and memorable ways. Whether it was an outfit, a table, a flower bed, a holiday display, or a family gathering, Shirley knew how to make things beautiful.

Shirley was an exceptional cook and baker. Her Thanksgiving dressing, cranberry sauce, gumbo, stuffed pork roast, garlic chicken, pies, banana bread, chicken spaghetti and cakes were family treasures. She made coconut pie, lemon meringue, pecan, chocolate, cherry, and many more. She made tiered cakes for weddings and graduations, German chocolate groom’s cakes, Easter bunny cakes, and shower cakes. Even in her final weeks, she was already thinking about the cake she would make for Xandre’s graduation and deciding what fruit filling might make it even better. Shirley was always improving the recipe, elevating the event, and finding a way to give more.

She loved travel, adventure, and being with the people she loved. She enjoyed Hawaii, Singapore, Trinidad, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Israel, Egypt, Italy, China, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Colorado, and many other places. She loved the lake house in Hemphill and Billy and Jan’s place in Colorado. She valued health and fitness throughout her life — swimming, running, walking, ziplining, carrying a grandson through Disney World, and even returning to the gym in her late 70s.

But above all, Shirley loved God first and fearlessly. She loved her family and church family closely behind. She wrote to her Bible correspondence students, practiced hospitality as a way of life, and served others in every way she could find. She never met a stranger. She saw the best in people, believed the best about situations, and had a gift for helping things thrive - whether it was a child, a patient, a friendship, a flower bed, a family tradition, or someone who simply needed to be loved.

Shirley gave her time, talents, energy, and money with abandon, often saying she wished she could do more - and then finding a way to do just that. She carried joy wherever she went. Her smile was warm, her spirit was strong, and her love was generous. Her family rises up and calls her blessed. Her works praise her. Her faith has become sight.

Shirley is survived by Brothers and Sister-in-laws: Robert Scogin (Dolly), Bill Scogin (Jan). Her children: Ted Lafferty, Jr. (Jennie), Tim Lafferty (Melissa), and Teresa Lafferty (Stephen). Her grandchildren: Andrew Lafferty, Rachel Lafferty, Daniel Lafferty, Alexandre Joao Lafferty Graca and Mila Elizabeth Lafferty Price. She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Ardell Scogin.