Shirley J. Adams, 77, of Atchison, KS passed away peacefully, Thursday, January 31, 2013 at her home surrounded by her loving family.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at the First Baptist Church with Rev. Michael Strickland officiating. Burial will follow in the Mt. Vernon Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7:00-8:30 PM Monday at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home. Memorials in honor of Mrs. Adams are suggested to the American Cancer Society, First Baptist Church or the Atchison Hospital Hospice and may be sent in care of the funeral home. Words of comfort for the family may be left online at www.beckerdyer.com.

Shirley was born October 16, 1935 in Atchison, KS the daughter of Rufus and Grace (Miller) Miller. She graduated from Atchison High School in 1954. Shirley married Aaron L. Adams on August 5, 1954 at the First Baptist Church in Atchison. Together they lived in Australia where Shirley had been a Supply Officer Secretary for the Naval Communication Station setting up her own supply office in Exmouth, Australia. Shirley was also a Secretary for City Hall of Atchison and then a Secretary for the Housing Authority from 1977-1982. From 1982-1992 Shirley was the Executive Director of the Housing Authority. When she was younger, she loved horseback riding, and later in life, liked to sew, study family genealogy, read and play scrabble. The most important things in Shirley’s life were her cats and especially spending time with her family.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 58 years, Aaron Adams, of the home; son, Steve (Donna) Adams, Bremerton, WA; daughters, Jeanine (Dennis) Weinmann, Atchison, KS; Karen Smith, Leavenworth, KS; Penny (Joe) Garcia, Atchison, KS; 8 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Ed, Bob and Cecil Miller and a sister, Dorothy Sherow.