Shirley Mae Curlee, 87, of Fayetteville, Tennessee, passed away Aug. 28, 2024, at her home.

Funeral services were held Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, at Higgins Funeral Home with Bro. Steven Miller officiating. Burial followed at Kirkland Cemetery.

Shirley was born Jan. 1, 1937, in Lincoln County, Tennessee, to the late William Curtis and Dora Eunice Spray Bates. She worked for Serbin and Blue Ridge Shirt Plant, however she most enjoyed being a door greeter at Wal Mart before she retired in 2019. She loved her job and always greeted everyone with a smile. Shirley was a long-time member of the West Fayetteville Church of Christ.

Survivors include her daughter, Emmaliene Mitchell and husband Toney of Fayetteville; son, John Boyce Curlee Jr. of Fayetteville; granddaughter, Katie Emmaliene Mitchell; sister, Conda Ruth Evans; sister-in-law, May Hannah Bates of Shreveport, Louisiana; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members. In addition to her parents, Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, John Boyce Curlee Sr.; siblings, Bertha Vann, William Clinton Bates, Lorene Pierce, Kenneth Bates, Billy Paul Bates, Dorothy Bennett, Peggy Bartlett, and an infant sister; and several nieces and nephews.

Higgins Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Shirley Mae Curlee.