The Life of Shirley Currin Mills

October 14th, 1934 – May 7th, 2016

Born into a farming family….the Currin’s were well known tobacco farmers in the small town of Keysville, VA…a devout Christian family….Shirley along with her three brothers went to Church every Sunday from as early on as she could remember….

Shirley began taking piano lessons very young as well….and at about age 12 began as the “Churches Pianist” every Sunday….right up until she was married to John Wesley Mills there in 1952…both attended the same Church….and both were Baptized in the same little creek….on “Double Bridges Road” there in Keysville….

Not long after being married Shirley decided to do something that was not common for a woman in the 1950’s….she went to work outside the home….she got a job at a local shirt factory where many other women had begun working after WWII….

One funny thing she remembered while working there at the shirt factory….she noticed that the shirts they were making in the factory would receive three of four different store labels in them….from three or four different store brands….all featuring very different retail prices later on….but they were the exact same shirt!!!

Shirley gave birth to her first child….John Michael Mills in 1953…. and three years later…she gave birth to her second son….Alan Clay Mills….

In the early 1960’s….Shirley and her family moved from her home State of Virginia to North Carolina when her husband was offered a better job….they settled in Creedmoor for a short while…. and then onto Raleigh….while there in 1966… she gave birth to her third child James Robert Mills…

Shirley would reside in Raleigh the longest…. and eventually was employed by Aetna Insurance Company of Raleigh…where she would work until retirement…
Besides raising three children….working for nearly 40 years was something Shirley was very proud of for the rest of her life….upon retirement….she moved back to Creedmoor…. and bought a brand new cherry red and black…Chevy S-10pickup truck… and proudly drove it the remainder of her driving days…

Retirement allowed her more time to be outside….and she enjoyed cutting her own grass….pruning her roses….and planting her flower beds….and she always had a tan and a beautiful yard every Spring…. and although she didn’t travel very much….another thing she enjoyed was hosting….”back yard cookouts”….on everyone’s Birthday in the family….this went on for many years…. and was the closest thing to a “Family Reunion” the family would ever have…these get togethers were enjoyed by everyone…

Upon being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010…Shirley moved to Oxford, NC…. and took residency at Universal Healthcare….where she would live the remainder of her life….

It’s somewhat ironic that Shirley passed away and left this world no more than half a mile from where her own father Robert Earl Currin started his life in society….after being an orphan in the Oxford Orphanage….

….Hopefully they will meet again in Heaven very soon….

Graveside services will be conducted at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at Carolina Memorial Gardens in Creedmoor by Pastor Tim Wheeler. Visitation will follow the graveside service.

***Shirley is preceded in death by her husband, John W. Mills….and her son, John Michael Mills….She is survived by her two sons….Alan Mills and his wife Karen…. and Jim Mills and his wife Kimberly….also her daughter-in-law Melinda Mills….her grandson, James Mills and wife Erica….and her great grandson, Parker….

She was Loved by all and will be greatly missed.