Shirley Janet Martin

Shirley Janet (Mitchell) Martin of Henderson Nevada passed away in her home on October 23, 2023. Shirley was born on August 31, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the youngest of three children of Roy Dale Mitchell and Beulah Augusta (Pierce) Mitchell. Her sisters, Jean Compere and Norma Miller, led long lives with family and friends.

Shirley graduated from Mumford High School in Detroit, class of 1954. She was married to Philip Edward Martin for 20 years. While raising three children she worked part time as a bank teller in the Metropolitan Detroit area. After her divorce, she became an office manager for a Law firm in Southfield, Michigan. She moved to the Las Vegas valley in the early 1990’s and lived in Henderson, NV for nearly 30 years. She worked as an accountant for Inquipco, a heavy equipment rental firm, until she retired at the age of 70. Living a quiet home life in southern Nevada, she enjoyed gardening, quilting, and swimming in her pool.

Her eldest daughter, Nikki, graduated from the University of Michigan and was employed as an accountant for many years. She returned to Lawrence Technical Institute to earn a degree in Electrical Engineering which she used for her second career at NASA in Edwards California. Nikki has returned to Livonia, MI to live the life of retirement.

Her middle child, Gale, graduated with a Master’s in Geology from the University of Michigan. She became a professor for the College of Southern Nevada and retired after 30 years.

Her youngest, Gary, graduated from Lawrence Tech with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He worked for Chrysler Corporation and General Motors until his retirement. Gary married wife Toni (Donaldson) Martin and has four children. Shannon, his eldest daughter, married Michael Kock and gave Shirley three great grandchildren, Katelyn, Andrew and Brooklyn. They all live in the Metro Detroit area. Mandy (Martin) Robbins resides in western Michigan with Shirley’s other great grandchildren, Logan and Isabel. Gary and Toni’s boys, Bradley and Shane, are budding pilots. Shane works for Maxflight Helicopters in Florida and Bradley is currently in school for pilot training. Gary and Toni recently sold their Michigan home and moved to Florida to enjoy their retirement.

Survivors include her children, Nikki, Gale and Gary and his wife Toni; the four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. She was the last remaining member of the immediate Mitchell family. Her sisters, Jean and Norma preceded her in death.

Shirley was cremated in Nevada, where a small gathering to celebrate her life took place in Henderson. She will be returning to Michigan with a visitation planned for her celebration of life for friends and family on June 14, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 with a short memorial service at 11:30 a.m. at the R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home, 15451 Farmington Road in Livonia. Please contact either Gale at [email protected] or Nikki at [email protected] for further information.

Please share a memory of Shirley by signing her Guestbook.