Obituary of Shirley Hughes

OBITUARY

Shirley Temple Turner of Arlington, Virginia was born June 10, 1936 in Culpeper, Virginia to Tom and Mildred Turner. She was the 7th of what would become 14 children. She passed away peacefully on October 24, 2023.

Shirley enjoyed athletic activities (running, climbing, and kicking) as opposed to beauty activities. Horses were a display of beauty and strength to her and oftentimes she would try to mimic them.

She would share how her parents would send her with her next oldest sister as protection because she was never afraid of a fight. It was during one of those outings she met her husband John Hughes, 15 years her senior, from Keysville, Virginia. He moved both sisters to Washington, DC and they were later married in December 1956 and moved to Arlington, Virginia. She joined Mount Zion Baptist Church with her husband and his relatives of the Hughes and Jeffress families.

While her husband pursued his career at the Pentagon, Shirley became a stay-at-home mom with the birth of their first child, Felicia. Four and a half years later they welcomed the birth of their son, Meyer. She enjoyed being at home with her children and watching her stories. Her next-door neighbor presented her with a job opportunity to work in the mailroom of DC Public Schools. With that she became a career woman.

She was able to move up within the DC government and eventually became a purchasing agent supervisor. She would retire from DC Public Schools and would eventually work again at the FBI building where she would retire again.

Shirley’s husband, John Hughes passed away in 1995 from asbestos poisoning. In 1996 her phone rang, and it was a caller who had misdialed a phone number. That caller, Lloyde England, later became her husband. He introduced her to a whole new world of motorcycle riding and big trucks. While their marriage would end in divorce, the family bond remained strong until his passing in December 2020 of natural causes.

In 2021, she made the decision to relocate to Little Rock, Arkansas to be close to her daughter. There were many times she wanted to return to her beloved Virginia. She began to enjoy some of what Arkansas had to offer, especially a better cost of living and neighbors who were like family.

On May 7th she spent a mommy/daughter day getting her nails and hair done and picking up foods she had been craving. She then spent the afternoon sitting in her favorite chair looking out the window.

Shirley is preceded in death by husbands, John Hughes and Lloyde England; son, Meyer Hughes; stepdaughter, Dorothy Brown; stepson, Lloyde “Drew” England; grandson, Calvin Brown; brothers,
Lee K. Turner, Joe C. Turner, Karl B. Turner, Edward Turner, and Tommy Turner; sisters, Ocie L. Butler, Virginia Turner, Jean Turner Brock Gray, Dorothy Jackson, and Virginia Bundy Layne.

She is survived by one daughter, Felicia Overton (Lawrence); stepson, John Hughes (Martha); grandsons, Jovan (Sarah), Neville (Bibi), Derrek (Trina), Malik, Nathaniel, and Russell; granddaughters, Debra (Eric), Romona, and Violet; Siblings Mary Scott, Bradley Turner, Tippie Washington (David), Cecil Logan, Mortimer Turner (Linda); stepdaughters, Cerise, Nancy, Phyllis and Florence; stepsons, Michael and Timothy; 18 great-grandchildren and one honorary granddaughter, Lisa Moya, along with a host of nieces, nephews, and honorary sons and daughters.