Shirley Ann Dunn (Mcmullen)

Shirley Ann McMullen Dunn, passed away peacefully on April 28, 2014 at the age of 79 surrounded by family at Sentara Medical Center, Woodbridge, VA. Funeral services will be at 10 am, Sat., May 10, 2014 at Carson-Speaks Chapel, 1501 W. Lexington Ave., Independence, MO 64052 with burial at Lee’s Summit Historical Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6-8 pm, Friday at the chapel. Shirley was born Feb. 3, 1935 in Independence, MO, the first child of Leon and Kathryn (Wortman) McMullen. She graduated from William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO in 1953 and from Central Missouri State College, Warrensburg, MO in 1957. Shirley was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha and the International Order of Job’s Daughters. She was crowned Honored Queen of Independence and Grand Bethel Honored Queen for the state of Missouri. She was the second young woman to serve as the presiding officer of the Grand Bethel of Missouri. Following college, Shirley worked for the Kansas City Chiefs and was the founder of the “Candy Cane Boutique” – a holiday craft store that donated all profits to families coping with terminal illness. She spent twenty years as the Administrator of Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Effingham, IL. She was a member of the Illinois Nursing Home Administrators Association and the Illinois Healthcare Association. During her tenure, she was awarded Administrator of the Year and received the honor of having the new rehabilitation wing of Evergreen being opened as “The Shirley M. Dunn Rehabilitation and Wellness Center.” Shirley was active in Kiwanis International and served as President of the Effingham Kiwanis Club. Upon retiring, she moved to Jacksonville, NC to walk on the beach and collect seashells with her granddaughter. An avid reader, she often enjoyed a cup of coffee and a morning spent browsing the bookstore. The recipient of Effingham’s Mother of the Year, Shirley was a devoted, loving mother and friend to her daughter, Tracey. She was a doting, adoring “Mimi” to her only grandchild, Caitlin. She was a proud and caring mother-in-law to Brian. She was a loyal, selfless wife to her husband, Gary and a devoted “elder” sister to her brothers Fred and Gary. In passing, she is reunited with the many special ladies who shaped her life: her mother Kathryn (Wortman) McMullen, her grandmother Edna Bridges Wortman and special aunts Viola “Bike” Steers and Edna Mae Gutridge. Shirley is survived by her husband Gary A. Dunn, Jacksonville, NC. Her legacy will forever live on through her daughter, Tracey Dunn McDermott; her son-in-law Lt. Col. Brian McDermott (USMC) and her cherished granddaughter Caitlin Elizabeth McDermott, all of Manassas, VA; her brothers and sisters-in-law Fred and Kathy McMullen; Gary and Janette McMullen, all of Independence, MO; her niece and nephew and her grandnieces and nephews.