Shirley Swaggard

S HIRLEY S. S WAGGARD was born on August 15, 1943 in Brandon, Mississippi to Ophelia Davis and Richard Scott. Shirley was raised in Tallulah, Louisiana. She is one of 11 children that her mother had. Shirley is preceded in death by her parents and brothers John and Clarence. She is survived by her brothers/sisters: Mary, Will, Andy, Joyce, Cill, Titus, Joseph, James; and aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews whom she loved dearly. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Jackson State University and then her master’s degree from St. Xavier University. Shirley was a Master Teacher who believed in mentoring other teachers. As an educator, she took pride in teaching her students how to be proud of who they are and to have self-respect. She was dedicated to her faith and was a member of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church for 34 years. Just like her faith, she was dedicated to her career as an educator for over 38 years with one year in Helena-West, Arkansas, and the rest in Rock Island, Illinois (Quad Cities). In retirement, she was dedicated to mentoring new and veteran teachers. A fun fact about her is that in retirement she took guitar and piano lessons. She was an avid sports fan, paying extra attention to tennis, basketball, and football. In addition, she was a foster parent and served as a court-appointed advocate for children along with visiting the elderly in hospitals, just to name a few things. Her involvement in the community will always be remembered as selfless. Shirley played basketball in college and bowled on a team for decades in the Quad Cities where her teammates became family to her. There was not a place that she would go where no one would not know her name. Although private, she made a friend who would turn family everywhere she went. The intentionality of her conversations touched every relationship that she had. She cherished her family and went as far as spending 8 months out of the year in Texas to be closer to her family. She loved her only child Eric Swaggard deeply and there was nothing that she would not do to show him that. Her time spent with her granddaughter, Lohgan, reflecting on life lessons at random times of the day and going to church meant a lot to her. Eventually, she became a great-grandmother in 2010 to Adison “Malik”. She played a pivotal role as she brought out all of her teaching skills, reading and playing with him daily. In 2017, she was blessed with a grandson of whom she loved dearly. Attending his birthday parties and reading books was a true highlight of her day. Shirley loved to spend time with her siblings, catching up on life and reading bible study plans. Reminiscing on different stories as well as uniting in prayer over life's challenges. Without question, Shirley lived a life full of love, adventure, faith, and intentionality. She was one person who made sure that her impact traveled through generations. “How lucky “blessed” I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” - Winnie The Pooh