Shirley Doreen Page was called home by the Lord Jesus to be reunited with her late husband, John on 14th August 2025 after a prolonged battle with dementia.
She will be sorely missed by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, foster daughters, church friends, her caring ‘family’ at Abbeygate, and all who knew her.
Shirley was a woman of dignity, patience and unwavering faith. Even in life's most difficult moments, she trusted in the Lord to protect, guide and carry her through. As she often said, "It was during those occasions where there was only one set of footprints in the sand - that was when the Lord was carrying me".
Reflecting on Shirley's life and Christian witness, we are reminded of Mother Teresa's words:
"Faith in action is love – and love in action is service. By transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God himself; with Jesus our Lord."
Shirley wanted to ‘give something back’ by fostering. She and John cared for a number of children, missionary kids and a baby over the years.
Their ethos was to welcome each of them into our family and to love and care for them as if they were their own children.
Shirley and John were members of Waterloo Gospel Hall, then Milton Baptist Church until they retired. More recently, Shirley was a member of Christ Church, Weston-super-Mare and, until dementia took over, was actively involved with their Women’s Fellowship group.
Her faith in Jesus was deep and unwavering, and it shaped the way she lived.
In that same spirit of compassion (to foster children), Shirley gave her wholehearted support to Torch Trust for the Blind, a cause close to her heart.
She and John, who passed on in 2017, devoted many months each year to helping with braille translations, making audio recordings and managing the Torch resources library.
Shirley was a brilliant proof-reader and contributed to the Prayer Alert project editorial team each week.
The initiative has informed and mobilised many millions of prayers over the last 20 years.
Shirley and John enjoyed caravanning in the UK and took budget sunshine stays in the Algarve, where they often joined an ex-pat evangelical church.
She found joy in performing, especially when acting or giving readings in church - moments that allowed her warmth and personality to shine.
In her later years, many will remember Shirley as a quiet and humble soul. But those who knew her from earlier on will recall her as a tenacious spirit, unafraid to be honest, and a voice that could be both candid and kind.
When she began to struggle with living independently, she moved in with her son, Steve, in Witney, where she got to know his friends, the Church family at Charlbury Baptist Church and his delightful Cavapoo – ‘Scruff’.
In recent years, Shirley’s memory and recognition slowly faded due to dementia.
She found comfort in jigsaws, knitting and then adult colouring books.
Her scarves went on forever! - and the colouring was immaculate.
The Page family are eternally grateful to the excellent team at Abbeycare on Weston’s sea front, who provided a friendly, safe and comfortable environment for Shirley during her three years with them.
One of Shirley’s favourite hymns was ‘Praise my Soul the King of Heaven. It testifies to her assurance, hope and heavenly expectation:
Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face:
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!
We give thanks for Shirley, who is at peace, is not suffering anymore, reunited with her Lord and Saviour, and reunited with John.
Thank you so much for standing with the Page family as we Celebrate Shirley and as we mark the departure to Glory of this wonderful lady.