Shirley Dian Stubbings (Beavis) (14 Dec 1939 - 15 Sep 2016)

Shirley Dian Stubbings (Beavis)

Shirley Dian Stubbings passed into the Lord’s embrace on 15th September, 2016 following a brief illness. She is survived by her husband Carl Herbert Stubbings, her son Steven Jack Taylor, her daughter-in-law Jenny Lee Taylor, her grandsons Royce Bradley Taylor and Brandon Mitchell Taylor, and her sister Maureen Ada Leach.

Shirley was born to Frank and Marjorie Beavis of Rugby on 14th December, 1939. She grew up in Rugby and attended Wood Street School and the Church of England.

As a young adult, Shirley moved to America with her husband Jack Clifford Taylor, who was in the US Air Force, and son Steven in order to experience another culture and to raise a family. Although there were happy times, things did not work out long-term and in 1968, she met Carl, the love of her life, and they began their life journey together. They were married that same year. Carl, Shirley, and her son Steven ultimately settled in Tallahassee, Florida.

In order to help support her family, Shirley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Central Florida. She later earned a Master of Science degree in Disability Determination and a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University in Tallahassee. She was the first British person to earn a law degree and become a member of the Florida and American lawyer associations. She worked as a lawyer and was an active member for more than 30 years.

Shirley enjoyed life, yet her heart was always divided. She loved America and she loved Rugby and all of England. She also felt a very special connection to Brinklow village where her mother grew up. She returned to Rugby many times over the years to visit family and eventually moved back to her hometown to live half-time.

Shirley was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She was kind, compassionate, fun-loving, intelligent, and very wise. She genuinely cared for people. She deeply loved and looked after her family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

We LOVE YOU “Shirl”/Mum/Nana, we will miss you, and you will be in our thoughts and prayers always until we are reunited …

A funeral service is scheduled for 4PM on Thursday, 6th October, 2016 at Rainsbrook Crematorium, Avon Chapel, Ashlawn Rd, Rugby CV22 5ET. Please consider making a donation to the St. John Baptist Church Roof Restoration Project in Brinklow or floral tributes are welcome also.