Shirley Mathis Lansden

Shirley Mathis Lansden, 87, of Paducah, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, at Southgate Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Metropolis, Illinois.

Shirley was born in Vanzora, in Marshall County, on Jan. 7, 1936, to the late Willie and Sytha Mathis.

She was a retired R.N. from Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah and a retired colonel from the United States Army Reserve, where she was a member of the 807th MASH Unit and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm), where she served as the chief nurse and was awarded the Bronze Star and Liberation of Kuwait Medals.

Shirley was a member of Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church for most of her life, where she served on the Council of Ministries for several years. She was also a member of the Rebekah Circle Fellowship Sunday School Class and United Methodist Women.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Lansden; parents, Willie and Sytha Mathis; four brothers, Tom Mathis, Van Mathis, Donnie Mathis and Joe B. Mathis; and three sisters, Ina Hudspeth, Willie Mae Bremer, and Margaret Campbell.

Shirley is survived by her two sons, J. Keith Lansden (Alexandra) of Paducah, and Michael Lansden of Paducah; three grandchildren, Natalie Lansden, Elizabeth Lansden, and William Lansden.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah with Rev. Bob Martin officiating. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens.

Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. until the service time of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to the American Cancer Society, 952 Fairview Avenue, Suite #4, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 42101; or the American Heart Association, 1818 Patterson Street, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203.

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