Shirley Marie Crowell Rowe

Shirley Crowell Rowe passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 7th 2025 after an extremely short and remarkably courageous battle with an illness. On a hot summer day in Daytona Beach, Florida, Shirley was born on the 6th of August 1953, which also happened to be her older brother Bob’s 6th birthday. She was the gift that kept on giving. Her parents, Lee and Mickie Crowell, had two beautiful children and a diabolical plan to save money on family birthday parties. A longtime resident of Florida, Shirley was an original Disney cast member, a surfer, a Publix sub aficionado, and self-proclaimed hurricane expert. She had a creative soul and enjoyed a panoply of artistic endeavors. She also understood the importance of knowing words like panoply, and instilled a love of the English language in her daughter, Jillian. She never met a career change she didn’t like, and held many positions including leading cycling tours through central Florida, funeral home manager, boudoir photographer, and park ranger to name a few. After a brief starter marriage that we don’t speak about, Shirley married Robert “Kelly” Rowe in 1979, where they solidified their marriage by pledging allegiance to the Florida Gators, Kelly’s alma mater. In 1983 they relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee where Shirley was forced to bear the shame of bringing their only child Jillian into the world at the University of Tennessee hospital where she informed the OR team that her daughter was supposed to be a Gator, not a Vol. This is a story she told as recently as a few weeks ago. In 2015 Shirley was promoted from Mom to Mimi with the birth of her only grandchild, Desmond. After Kelly rudely passed away in 2013, Shirley got her groove back in 2016 by reconnecting with Christian McCarthy, an old friend from Florida. They began a beautiful relationship, and Christian lovingly stayed by her side until her last breath.

Shirley is preceded in death by her parents Lee and Mickie Crowell, and her husband Robert Kelly Rowe. She is survived by her brother Robert “Bob” Crowell and his wife Ruth Anne Crowell, her only child Jillian Rowe Cohen, her favorite child and son-in-law Joshua Cohen, her unofficial husband Christian McCarthy, and her adoring grandson Desmond Kelly Stafford.

The service to honor Shirley's life will be held at Baker McCullough Funeral Home- Garden City Chapel on Wednesday, May 14 at 10am.

Baker McCullough Funeral Home, 2794 US Highway 80 W Garden City, GA 31408 912-964-2862, has been entrusted with arrangements.