Shirley Strickland Son's Obituary
Shirley Strickland-Son, age 81, born July 19, 1944, departed this life in Knoxville,
Tennessee September 23, 2025, with her children by her side as the final illness came
swiftly and closed the last chapter of her earthly journey.
For most of her days she made her home in Memphis, Tennessee; a city whose streets
carried the memory of her childhood at Treadwell, her graduation from Overton High
School in 1962, and the long years of work, home, and motherhood that made up life’s
ordinary rhythm.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Son (2001), and her parents, William
Raymond Strickland (2010) and Dolly Mae Moore-Strickland (2009), both of Memphis.
She will be laid to rest beside them. She is survived by her sister, Kitty Kay (Robert)
Ashcraft, and her nephew, Dustin Strickland (Mandy) Ashcraft of Corpus Christi, Texas.
More enduring still, she became the mother of two children: Veronica Starnes of
Knoxville, Tennessee, and Andy (Abby) Forsythe of Spring Hill, Tennessee. From them
came four grandchildren: Chris Forsythe of Columbia, Tennessee; Jessica Starnes
(Drew) Abner of Knoxville, Tennessee; Michael (Caitlin) Forsythe of Columbia,
Tennessee; and Brandon (Amanda) Starnes of Knoxville, Tennessee - and through them
many great-grandchildren who will carry her memory forward. Whatever storms she
endured, her children found steadiness and in them remains living witnesses that her
life, though restless, was not without fruit.
Her burial will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis on Saturday, October
11, 2025 at 2:00pm. It will be a simple graveside service, modest and true. Fitting for a life that was, like all lives, restless, imperfect, and wholly human.
And yet her story does not end there. For no life is beyond the reach of grace, nor
outside the mercy of Christ who makes all things new. Having laid aside her burdens,
Shirley is received into the joy of Heaven, into the embrace of her Savior, where love is
made perfect, sorrows are mended, and every tear is wiped away.
What’s your fondest memory of Shirley?
What’s a lesson you learned from Shirley?
Share a story where Shirley's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Shirley you’ll never forget.
How did Shirley make you smile?
