Shirley Wanita Lima

Shirley Lima passed away on March 13, 2026, after a short illness. A longtime resident of Parker, Texas, she later moved to a retirement community in Dallas in June 2015. Born on May 27, 1940, in Huntington County, Indiana, she was the youngest of five children.

Shirley graduated from Lancaster High School in 1958, where she participated in band and 4-H. She attended Huntington University for two years before studying at International Business College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There she met her husband, Verie Lima, at a fraternity dance on May 5, 1961. They married on November 24, 1961, at Pilcher’s Chapel in Lancaster and began their life together in Florida, where Verie worked for Honeywell. Shirley was a devoted stay-at-home mother during her children’s school years.

In 1978, she joined the workforce as a teacher’s aide in the Head Start program and later worked for the Plano Public Library System for 21 years. Though family responsibilities had paused her education, she quietly pursued her goals, earning an associate degree in general studies from Richland Junior College in 1976 and a bachelor’s degree from Amberton University in 1992 at the age of 52.

After retiring from the library in 2002, Shirley enjoyed time with family and friends, traveling with Verie, practicing her craft skills, reading, and researching family genealogy. She became skilled at making Nantucket Lightship baskets during summers at the John Campbell School in North Carolina, eventually serving as an assistant instructor and crafting more than eighty baskets that she lovingly gave to those dear to her. In her later years she built a dulcimer and joined Verie in music workshops and jamming sessions. She was also a dedicated platelet donor for many years, contributing more than twenty-four gallons of blood.

Shirley is survived by her husband Verie; son Richard and his wife Jeanie and their children Michael, Cody, Hayleigh, and Aubrey; son Jeffrey; sister Margaret Gall; brother DeWayne Glass; and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends, including Pam and Gilbert Lima and their family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Eva Glass; sister Maxine Olson; brother Robert Glass; and daughter Tammy Lima.