Shirley S. Cherry

Shirley Mae Stoker Cherry, age 85, of Warner Robins, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at her residence with her children and niece by her side. Born to parents Richard James and Norene Thomas Stoker in Memphis, Tennessee, on their thirteenth wedding anniversary, she grew up in Grenada, Mississippi. She was a graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, where she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the Baptist Student Union, and went on to earn a BA degree in Elementary Education. She taught for three years in Gulfport, Mississippi, before marrying the love of her life, Bill Cherry, on November 12, 1961, with whom she spent fifty-nine years as his “sidekick” in all his endeavors before he died of cancer in 2021.

Shirley enjoyed her life with her military husband as he attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. She traveled with him as he was stationed in Biloxi, MS, Smyrna, TN, Little Rock, AR, Hampton, VA, and Warner Robins, GA, where he retired after twenty-three years of service. After retirement, Bill started Cherry Homes Inc. where he designed custom homes for fifteen years, and Shirley worked by his side full-time as his decorator and administrator.

An active member of Central Baptist Church, Shirley served as a church greeter on Sunday mornings, hosted and participated in several Bible studies, decorated for multiple women’s dinners and events, and was a member of the Adult IV Sunday School Class. For every Sunday School Christmas party, she used old greeting cards and made everyone in the class a tiny box in which she placed a piece of holiday candy. She loved working with the Greenbriar Garden Club on its many community projects such as making patriotic Christmas decorations for the Russell Parkway Post Office, the Gold Star Memorial Marker at Robins AFB, and was the club’s chair for the Mayor’s Christmas Motorcade to benefit adults at Central Georgia Regional Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. Her hobbies included reading and working crossword puzzles. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, she adored spending time with family and friends.

Shirley is survived by her daughter, Charlotte Cherry Yelken (Doug) of Peachtree City, GA; son, Timothy Thomas Cherry (Mandy) of Warner Robins, GA; grandchildren, Alexa Lynn Yelken, Savannah Karoline Yelken, and Max O’Neal Yelken; great grandchild, Angel Christine Humphrey; sisters, Rose Marie Stoker Hardin of Ft. Smith, AR and Marilyn Ann Stoker Wimberly of Nacogdoches, TX; and several nephews and nieces, most notably Susan Wimberly Kaiser (John) of Santa Rosa Beach, FL, who was like a sister to her. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her brother, Richard James Stoker, Jr. Her mother died on November 16, 1992, 30 years to the day of Shirley.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at Central Baptist Church, Warner Robins, with Dr. Owen Bozeman and Pastor Stephen Byrd officiating. The family will greet friends from 10:30 a.m. until the service. For friends and family unable to attend, the service will be streamed live via the McCullough Funeral Home Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mcculloughfuneralhome/live/.

Memorial donations may be made to Central Baptist Church Building Fund, 1120 Lake Joy Road, Warner Robins, GA 31088 or the charity of one’s choice.

McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.