Frederick "Freddy" Constantine Shirley

Frederick Constantine Shirley, age 71, of Tamarac, Florida, passed away peacefully at his home on July 26, 2026. He is survived by his loving sister, two brothers, nieces, nephews, other relatives, and dear friends.

Frederick, affectionately known as Freddy; was born on May 8, 1955, in Kingston, Jamaica. In the early 1990s, he migrated to the United States, where he worked several jobs to build a life for himself and support his family.

Freddy was a responsible, ambitious, and deeply caring individual. He loved his family as much as he loved coffee, always placing them at the forefront of his life. Over the years, he turned colleagues into friends, and friends into family.

In his spare time, he found joy in playing kalooki, watching television, reading, and taking peaceful walks.

Freddy was a kind soul. May his spirit live on in every life he touched, and may we share the love he showed us with others. Forever in our hearts.

EULOGY FOR THE LIFE OF FREDERICK CONSTANTINE SHIRLEY

Frederick Constantine Shirley—affectionately known to everyone as Freddy—was born on May 8, 1955, at Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, to the late Rosetta and Linford Shirley. His early years were characterized by warmth and affection in Clarendon, where he was raised by his grandparents, Mary and Arthur Shirley, alongside his close-knit cousins. Freddy attended Frankfield High School (now known as Edwin Allen High School) before pursuing his teaching diploma at Churches Teachers' College, specializing in English and English Literature. He spent several years nurturing young minds at Chapelton All-Age School before transitioning to the corporate sector as an accountant for the Cigarette Company of Jamaica (Carreras Limited) in Kingston, where he was employed for several years.

In the early 1990s, Freddy migrated to the United States, bringing his diligent work ethic. He initially established residence in New York, where he spent three years serving as an office assistant at Jamaica National. During his tenure in New York, he also contributed his efforts to organizations such as People of Color in Crisis, the Haitian Women’s Program, and the Advertising Team.

Despite life's challenges, Freddy’s love for his family and friends remains steadfast. He actively engages in the lives of his nieces and nephews, celebrating their milestones. However, following the sudden passing of his sister Peaches in 1996, Freddy assumed a more active and caring role in the lives of her children, Dwayne and Kellian, exerting his best efforts to support them. Although Freddy did not have biological children of his own, he was a sincere and dedicated father figure to both Kellian and Dwayne. He also proudly served as the godfather of Jhenae White-Davis and remained actively involved during her early years.

In 2000, Freddy relocated from New York to Florida, where he embraced the sunny climate and established a new sense of community at Drive Way. Serving as the Billing and Accounts Manager, he dedicated 26 years of unwavering commitment to his responsibilities. The relationship he cultivated with his colleagues was distinctive; he invested sincere effort, and they continually

reciprocated this dedication. Additionally, he engaged in part-time remote work for Scarlett & Associates, primarily handling filing and tax-related tasks.

Freddy served as the pillar of his family, a reliable and intensely loyal individual upon whom everyone depended. Following the passing of his father in 2006 and his mother in 2014, he assumed all responsibilities with remarkable composure and without any protest. This exemplified "Freddy being Freddy," as he subtly and diligently cared for his loved ones.

Outside of work, Freddy was known for appreciating the simple pleasures of life. He enjoyed playing competitive kalooki with friends, relaxing in front of the television, and taking tranquil walks. Most notably, he was an avid coffee enthusiast and commenced each day with the ideal brew. His preferred moments involved traveling, whether returning to Jamaica to visit family or going to Georgia for delightful Christmas dinners with his cousin Joy and her family. His most recent joyful Christmas was last year, when he surprised his sister Fay by unexpectedly appearing at her door in Texas. Additionally, he valued giving back to the community, serving with pride as a notary public and actively participating as a Board Member of the Bonaire Woodmont Homeowners Association.

Getting to know Freddy was like discovering a truly special, wonderful soul. He was a private individual who enjoyed his own company, yet he had a wonderfully playful and mischievous side that sparked endless laughter among those close to him. He stayed genuine, set clear boundaries, and wasn't shy about gently guiding you back if you ever crossed the line with him.

Even as his health presented challenges in his later years, Freddy handled his condition with quiet resilience, maintaining a positive outlook and remaining fully independent. He officially retired in 2022 but couldn't stay away from the work he loved. By 2025, he was delighted to return to the office to train a new accountant, eager to support his cherished team.

On Sunday, July 26, 2026, Freddy’s close friend, Miss Pauline, sensed something was amiss when her calls went unanswered. She customarily prepared meals for Freddy, including soup he had not collected the night before. Concerned, she

visited his residence and found the door locked with his car in the driveway. She promptly notified his family and the authorities. Upon entry, Freddy was found resting peacefully. Medical examiners confirmed he had passed away from natural causes.

He leaves a lasting legacy of kindness, mourned by his loving sister Claudette Akintobi (Fay), two brothers Derrick and Vernon Shirley, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and numerous dear friends. Freddy was a gentle and compassionate soul. May his generous spirit lives on through everyone he touched, and may we continue to honor him by sharing the unconditional love he always exemplified. Forever in our hearts.

UNCLE FREDDY'S REMEMBRANCE FROM KELLIAN HANNIFORD

I can vividly recall the many times when growing up I heard my grandmother call out, “Uncle Freddy is on the phone!” Whatever I was doing, I would stop and come running to talk to him. Even though he lived in the USA and I lived in Jamaica, Uncle was always an active part of our lives. I was raised by my grandparents—who were Uncle Freddy’s parents—and he would always call and support us financially. Every Christmas, holiday, and birthday, you could expect a special treat from him. I can still remember a black doll I loved so much as a child that my uncle gave to me. Uncle always told the story of how he went into the store and asked the attendant to assist with finding a doll for his niece, she gave him a white doll and he be like “Nope, my niece said she wants a black doll!” and a black doll with afro-kinky hair was what I received indeed. I recall once when Uncle Freddy came for a surprise visit. I think I was in my early teens at the time, I was walking to Frankfield and I saw this man walking up, and as he got closer to me, he said, “Peaches.” Since I hadn’t seen uncle much, I didn’t vividly remember what he looked like, but when I heard his voice, I shouted, “Uncle Freddy!” I ran and gave him a hug, and we both went back to the house to surprise Grandma together.

In 2014, I received my USA visitor's visa, and ever since then, whether it is Christmas, summer, Easter break, or just a time when I am not working, I am going to Uncle Freddy’s house. I would always call and say, “Uncle, I would like to come up at such-and-such time,” and his response would always be, “Niecy, your room is always here!” It is always a time of great excitement whenever I come to visit. All of you who were close to him can attest to this: Uncle was private, but that is one thing he always made publicly known—"My niece is coming!" It was always such a pleasure visiting my uncle. No matter the time of my flight, whether he had to leave work early or not go at all, he was coming to the airport to pick me up. It was beautiful to see how his face lit up whenever I cooked his favorite meals. He loved soup, porridge, stew peas, and I could safely say just about anything I prepared for him. I can still hear his voice bragging over the phone to friends and family, saying, “My niece is here and she cooked for me. I am being well taken care of.”

It’s a thing for uncle to take me to visit at least one family member on my trip, whether its Uncle Bruce, Uncle Paul or Uncle LIoyd. I can remember one Christmas when we drove all the way from Florida to Georgia with Uncle Junior for Christmas dinner at Auntie Joy’s house. Uncle even took me to his office where I met his colleagues who to him, were like family.

Uncle has been a tremendous help throughout my entire lifetime, from assisting with university to walking me down the aisle at my wedding. Uncle was not a picture person—at least so I thought, because I later found some nice photos of him in his younger years—but when I was around, he had no choice but to take pictures with his niece. One of my most memorable summers with him was when he came to Jamaica in 2022. He and I had so much fun together. From Devon House to Tracks and Records, to Sharkie’s, to walking on the beach.

Uncle enjoyed visiting Auntie Louis, Uncle Vernon and Kevin in Portmore, especially on Saturdays, for Uncle Vernon nice beef or chicken soup. We also went to the clarendon to visit our family plot and see his nieces and nephew (my cousins) there.

The last time I spent with my dearest uncle was March of this year. My husband and I came up, and he was so happy to see us. We mostly stayed home during our visit, but quality time was spent indeed. Never did I know that would be the last time I would see my uncle alive and well.

Uncle was, simply put, very fun to be around, very caring, and a very kind soul. He loved his family and friends very much, and his family loved him. He is missed dearly, but in our hearts, he will always live on.

UNCLE FREDDY REMEMBRANCE FROM DWAYNE WALKER

When I think about my uncle, Frederick Shirley, or Uncle Freddy as I called him, there are so many things that come to mind.

Uncle Freddy and my mother were really close, so growing up as a child, I always heard about him. He lived in America when I was growing up, but he would always call my mother and my grandma, and that was mostly how we communicated back then.

One thing I will always remember about Uncle Freddy was his voice. He had this very calm and soothing voice that just made you feel comfortable. He was someone you felt like you could talk to about anything.

Even though he lived away, he played a major role in my life from childhood right up until he passed. He was one of those people you wanted to make proud.

He was also funny. Uncle Freddy had a great sense of humor, but I think what made him so funny was that he didn’t even have to try. He could say the funniest thing with a completely straight face.

As I got older and started spending more time around him, I also found out that Uncle Freddy had a little potty mouth.

One memory that I will probably never forget happened when my grandma died. Uncle Freddy came down to Jamaica for the funeral, and one day him, Kelly and I were in May Pen buying some things in preparation for the funeral.

While we were walking through the market, a lady kept calling to us, “Come buy something from me.” Uncle Freddy told her a few times that he was okay and that we didn’t want anything, but she kept insisting.

Next thing I heard was Uncle Freddy chop two Jamaican curse words “BBC”! and say, “Lady, yuh deaf? How much times mi fi tell you seh we no want nothing from fi buy!

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be frightened.

I was frightened because this was May Pen, and growing up I had always heard that May Pen was not a place where you wanted to get into trouble. But at the same time, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Hearing Uncle Freddy, with his American English accent, mixing it with patois and those Jamaican curse words, all in that unique calm voice of his, was just too funny.

Those are the kinds of memories of him that I will always carry with me.

Something else I’m really going to miss are his stories. I am a big history fanatic, so I could sit down with Uncle Freddy for hours just listening to him tell me what life was like when he was a child growing up in Lampard.

He would tell me about the people who lived there, the things they used to do, and how different life was back then. I remember him telling me how on Sunday evenings he used to have to go and get ice from a lady named Miss Delia’s mother so they could have ice to put in the drinks for dinner. Those might seem like small stories, but I loved hearing them because they gave me a picture of a time and a place that I never got to experience myself.

My last memory with Uncle Freddy was a little over two weeks before he passed. I went to visit him, and we sat and talked for a long time about all kinds of things in life, but, as usual, a lot of our conversation was about history.

At the time, I didn’t know that would be our last conversation.

If I could go back to that day, I think I would talk a little less about history and a little more about myself. I would tell him more about the things I’ve accomplished, the things I’m working toward, and everything I still plan to accomplish in the future.

Because I know he would be proud.

And that’s something I will carry with me. As I continue through life and accomplish the things I set out to do, I will always think about Uncle Freddy as one of those people I wanted to make proud.

I’m grateful that I got that last opportunity to sit down with him, hear his voice, listen to his stories, laugh with him, and just spend time with my uncle.

I’ll miss his stories. I’ll miss his humor. I’ll miss that calm voice.

But most of all, I’ll miss Uncle Freddy.

Rest well, Uncle Freddy. I hope I continue to make you proud