Shirley Mae Thurman was born on August 14 1944 in Osceola AR. to Fred and Dolly Jimerson. Shirley departed this life on May 23 2023 after a long illness. Shirley attended Hayti high school in Hayti Missouri where she met Arthur Gene Cole. Shirley and Gene were married in 1962 and from that union they had one daughter Catherine Cole. In 1963 there was an Employment Agency that contracted to take girls to New York for work. Shirley and some of her friends decided to go. All the girls came back home because they were homesick except Shirley. Shirley stayed because she wanted to make a better life for herself and her child. Shirley s first job she got after arriving in the Bronx New York was working in the Health Care field with individuals with disabilities. Her passion was caring for people that couldn t care for themselves. While working in New York Shirley met Nathaniel Grampus and from that union they had a daughter Margie Grampus. After working in New York for 22 years Shirley decided to move to Springfield IL in 1985 to be closer to her family especially our mother. After moving to Springfield she worked for the Springfield Association for Intellectual Individuals from 1986 until she had a stroke in 1998. She enjoyed working with individuals who were disabled She gave her life to the Lord as a teenager and when she became incapacitated and no longer able to go out she would listen to Bishop G.E. Patterson s sermons. Two things Shirley loved doing were fishing and caring for people. She would spend hours with her two cousins Jerry and Calvin. You could always find them under a bridge or on a lake fishing. They would go away on weekend fishing trips it didn t matter whether they caught anything they just did it for the thrill of fishing. Shirley was such a loving and kind person. She has enough love to go around for everyone she showed her love by giving back. Shirley gave back by helping her community and her family. I remember Shirley would bring individuals home with her and let them spend the day with her. You could always find Shirley helping wherever she was needed. Shirley also gave back to her family she helped raise her niece Gloria Hunter and nephew Robert James. Shirley was such a loving and kind person that her nieces and nephews wanted to be around her all the time. Shirley was preceded in death by her husbands Arthur Cole and Nathaniel Grampus her father and mother Fred and Dolly Jimerson a sister Freddie Mae Jimerson and three brothers Boise Gene Ronnie and Bobby Joe Jimerson. Shirley leaves to cherish her memories two daughters Catherine James Harris of Springfield IL and Margie Kirk Kendley of East Stroudsburg PA and six grandchildren LaMonte Anthony Melissa Erica Malik and Terrell and eight great grandchildren Alyssa Acire Lilyanna Khaden Maliyah Hailey Seyonni and Rue. Five siblings Robert Kenneth Christine Jimerson Margaret Thurman and Linda Jones all of Springfield and a host of nieces nephews and cousins.