Shirley J Kilcoyne

Shirley was born in Topeka, Kansas on Aug. 20, 1926 to Bryan and Bernice Fulton. The family lived in Sabetha, Kansas, a small farm town, where Shirley was steeped in Midwestern values such as hard work, frugality, and community. It was also here that she fell in love with big band music and dreamed of moving to far-away places.

After graduating high school, Shirley attended Washburn University in Topeka. With WWII was in full swing, Shirley and her friends paid their civic duty by entertaining military officers at the local USO club. One particular officer, a member of the 101st Airborne, was gobsmacked upon seeing Shirley. He assured his friends that someday she would be his wife. Shirley married David Jack Kilcoyne in 1947.

Shirley and Jack had an adventurous marriage, moving fourteen times, while Jack worked as a hospital administrator for the VA. With two children in tow (Jacqueline and David) they crisscrossed the country, at one-point living in a Quonset hut in snowy upstate New York and later settling for a few sunny years in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Shirley was a licensed real estate agent for 55 years. Early in her career in Gainesville, Florida, she was part of the site selection team for Disney World. While living in Puerto Rico, she worked as the social director for Canard cruise line. After moving to Tampa, she worked as a realtor with Smith & Associates for over twenty years.

Shirley was always the life of the party. She never missed an opportunity to cut a rug or imbibe a cocktail. Even though heartbroken after her beloved husband died in 1986, Shirley continued to live life to the fullest, traveling the world and driving through all 50 states. She enjoyed the later years of her life traveling with her son and daughter and spending time with her grandchildren.

Even after she turned 90, she didn’t let age stop her from having fun. Her last grand adventure was a road trip through Kansas all the way to Glacier National Park. This three-week adventure included three stops to the emergency room, but Shirley was still having fun flirting with the medics and asking for a cocktail.

Shirley is survived by her daughter Jackie Kilcoyne Farley, her son David Fulton Kilcoyne (Karena), her grandchildren, Bryan and Caitlin Farley, Cassie Kilcoyne Levy (Grant), Jessica and Jackson Kilcoyne, her great-grandson, Jace, and her sister, Beverly Heptig.

Funeral services and burial will take place in Sabetha, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Albany Historical Society, c/o Alex Doughty, President, 1403 Kansas Road, Sabetha, KS 66534.