Ronna Shirley

Ronna Fay Barber Shirley, age 86, of Cedar Springs, Michigan, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 13, 2023. She was born January 7, 1937, in Lake Orion, Michigan, to the late Hiram and Eula (Yeager) Barber. Ronna graduated from Willow Glen High School in San Jose, California with the class of 1955. She went on to obtain an associates degree from St. Edwards School of Nursing in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She worked as an LPN ICU nurse at St. Edwards and in other medical facilities in Grayling, Roscommon, and Ada, Michigan. A few of Ronna's favorite things were Little Debbie's snack cakes which she often brought to church potlucks, vintage convertibles, yelling at the Lions or MSU football teams, tending her bird feeder, timing herself on Word Search puzzles, singing harmony since she was four years old, and reading her Bible through each year. In her lifetime, she proficiently played at least ten musical instruments, composed over thirty original songs, and wrote and directed more than a handful of Sunday School musicals. She loved to serve others through prayer, music, teaching Sunday School, writing cards, and helping out. She adored her family, possibly because family was something that she had to fight for early in life. It nearly crushed her to lose her son, Keith, and she clung to the sure hope of seeing him again in heaven. With the exception of cooking which she never really mastered, she was not afraid to tackle hard things such as rebuilding a car carburetor on her kitchen table with just a manual. She was spunky and stubborn and quickly promoted in most jobs she had. In small groups she could become the life of the party, and her sense of humor never left her, nor did her ability to see the bright side of life and be ready with a smile. But her most striking feature was her infectious love for her Heavenly Father. She never got over the fact that she was forgiven. She leaned on Him to provide for her. And no matter what life brought, no matter how hard times were (and she experienced horrifically hard times) she knew that her Father accepted and deeply loved her. And she was grateful. Ronna is survived by her children, Lonna (Shane) Jobson, Christina Sitarski, and Christopher Shirley; grandchildren, Gwendolyn (Dan) Grahn, Braden (Heather) Jobson, Damon Hunter, Caleb (Sonja) Jobson, Dylan Jobson, Alex (Ron) Lukas, and Devin Jobson; great grand-children, Carter Jobson, Alexa Jobson, Raelynn Shirley, Chloe Jobson, Elliott Grahn, Hunter Jobson, and Ada Grahn; and sister, Bonnie (Michael) Sprague. She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Winford Keith Shirley; her two brothers, H. William Barber and Stephen Barber; and sister, Ruth Weller. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM at Oakfield Baptist Church at 11128 14 Mile Rd NE, Rockford, MI 49341. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to CRU in honor of Ronna and her love for college kids. Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ronna Shirley, please visit our flower store.