Charles Shirley

Charles "Sarge" James Shirley, 93, passed away September 26, 2024. He was a longtime resident of Franklin. Charles was born on April 13, 1931 in Newry, South Carolina to Arnold Shirley and Estelle (Allen) Shirley. He married Donna Shirley on August 5, 1952. They celebrated 59 years of marriage before her passing on February 9, 2012. Charles is survived by his children, James "Mike" Shirley (Tracy), Randy Shirley, Karen Stafford (Jeff), and Patsy Byrd (Jerry); 15 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and sister, Arvilla Blackwell. He was preceded in passing by his parents, Arnold and Estelle; siblings, Alton Shirley, William Shirley, Ray Shirley, Pauline Taylor, Barbara Chambers, and Ellen Long. Charles was a United States Army veteran having served during the Korean War. He enlisted in January of 1949 and served over 20 years before his retirement from the Army. He served as E-7 Sargent in the Medical Core as well as a Resident Advisor in the Job Core at Camp Atterbury. Charles was a member of the VFW Post #6978 New Whiteland and Franklin American Legion Post #205. He attended Journey Church. He enjoyed playing bingo and his frequent visits to Las Vegas. A celebration of life service will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home, 2898 N. Morton Street in Franklin. Visitation will be Tuesday, October 1, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow the service at Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin.