Shirley Ann Renfro

Shirley Ann East Renfro of Greenville Texas went to join her family and the Lord July 18th, 2025. She was 78 years old but very young at heart.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 50 years, Bill Renfro; daughter and husband, Honorio and Teresa Renfro Cruz; grandson and partner, Remo Renfro and Hana Killough; sister-in-law, Margaret East Cobb; brothers-in-law, John Renfro and Alex Curiel; sisters-in-law and husbands, Jim and Renee Shelton, and Ron and Robbie Zellitti; and nieces and nephews, Paul Staryak, Andrew Staryak, Lynnie Staryak, Christina Shelton, Sean Lynch, Christopher Lynch, Maddy Brumit, and Becky Price.

Shirley is preceded in death by son, James William; parents, Lennox and Martha East, parents-in-law, William and Georgette Renfro; sister, Lynn Brumit, brother, Lennox "Junior" East; and nephew, Patrick Lynch.

My momma was born in Clinton, Mississippi right before Christmas in 1946. What an amazing gift she was to Mamaw and Papaw that Christmas! She was one of the prettiest babies you've ever seen. She attended Byrd High School in Shreveport LA. Mom had me in 1966. She was a young single mother in the 1960s which wasn't easy. She was strong, independent and proud and never let anything stand in her way. We were two happy single girls living our best life. She used to make us matching rompers. It was beyond adorable. Yet, it still seemed something was missing in our lives. God sent us Bill Renfro, my daddy. It was so much fun watching their early love grow. They had so much fun together. One night he asked us both to marry him. Of course, we both said yes. They married in December of 1974, so last December was their 50th wedding anniversary. In June of 1976 my little brother, James William, was born. Sadly we lost him at 8 years old so he's with his mommy now. Many families don't survive a tragedy like that but our love and strength cannot be beat.

My mom did a lot of things in her life so it is hard to say "she was a realtor". After having James my mom went back to college and got an associates degree. She had a 4.0 GPA!! She became an "Ace #1" Real Estate Agent selling millions of dollars worth of property and receiving awards and recognition ever year. She was a belly dancing instructor for many years. It brought her and her ladies so much joy. She worked in electronics for many years. She loved gardening and could grow anything. She was a major history buff. We took a history class in college and I sat behind her. That's why I aced the class, too. No one could beat me and mom at trivia or spades if we were partners. Our life had some ups and downs but mostly ups. We took family trips to the beach every year and tubed the Guadalupe. She was an incredible camper. She went paragliding with Remo. She was my delivery coach when Remo was born. Her and my daddy created the most loving, fun, stable and beautiful life for all of us. Daddy took her on dates almost every month. They loved concerts and even went to see Three Dog Night just last year. We always had pets. Cats, dogs, birds, lizards...we loved them all. Mom especially loved her cat, Precious, who was not named for her personality. Daddy made sure mom knew she was loved and protected. He will always be our hero. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Daddy, for taking such good care of mom. You couldn't have been a better husband. You were so gentle and loving those last few weeks yet incredibly strong.

We would like to extend our thanks to Hope Hospice, Samantha and Bria. You ladies are family now. You two were like daughters to her. Thank you for loving my little momma like you did.

I'm sure many of you have funny and amazing stories about Miss Shirley Ann. I hope you can attend her memorial service and share those stories with us. I want to truly celebrate her life. That's what mom would want.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 4th, at Quinlan Funeral Home in Quinlan TX at 2:00 PM.