Lehigh Cemetery

Coal County, Oklahoma

© Brown's Funeral Service Atoka
Submitted by: Terry Dudley

Nancy Ellen English Shirley

April 14, 1939 - December 1, 2025

Nancy Ellen English was born to Wallace and Delena (Jacobus) English at home in Lehigh, Oklahoma on April 14, 1939. She died on Monday, December 1, 2025, at Coalgate. Her daddy was a coal miner and was able to provide the family with plenty of food, electricity, and an automobile at a time when many families did not have those things. Nancy respected and admired her parents.

Nancy grew up learning to cook, clean house, raise and preserve food from an early age. She says she felt she was born with an iron in her hand. The family moved to California for a short time during Nancy’s adolescence but returned to Oklahoma. During her freshman year in high school, Nancy started working at the Palace Drug Store. While working at the Palace, she met A J Shirley, never suspecting he would eventually become the love of her life. When they first met, she says he always sat at the end of the counter but never talked to her. Her sophomore year in school, he moved down the counter closer to the fountain and started talking to her some. Nancy says that at that point in her life, she still had a lot to learn about cowboys. (Nancy found out some time later that A J had been telling his cowboy buddies that he was just waiting on her to grow up so he could marry her).

A J bided his time and finally built up the nerve one night to ask if he could drive her home after work. Nancy called home to ask her daddy for permission; he allowed it; and they started dating around A J’s rodeo schedule. After dating about a year, they got married in Stigler, Oklahoma, on December 17, 1956.

Nancy says she was in for quite a shock; she married a cowboy but knew nothing about cows or rodeoing. She found out in April of 1957 (when rodeo season kicked off) that A J was going to leave her home by herself, with cows to tend to. She learned to take care of orphaned calves and how to feed grain and hay to cattle. She claims the only ranch chore she refused to learn was how to milk a cow.

Nancy was a newlywed, was learning about cows and rodeo cowboys, and still graduated from Coalgate High School in May 1957.

In June of 1959, Nancy and A J were blessed by the birth of their daughter, Elizabeth Ann. 3 years later, in June of 1962, their son Jackie Wallace was born. Nancy said that as grand as Jack and Beth were; when those grandbabies, Dusty, Sandy, Katelyn and Jaclyn were born, they were even grander! She and A J were devoted grandparents and were always willing to help. After Dusty came along, Nancy mostly just wished to be known as Nanny.

While Nancy’s children were young, in addition to tending to them, the cattle during rodeo season, and keeping her house spotless, she made extra money for the family by doing sewing and baking for neighbors. After the kids were a bit older, she started working outside the home as an administrative assistant for a local insurance agent and then worked as an in-home care provider for the elderly.

Nancy and A J had been married 56 years and 4 months at the time of A J’s death. Nancy requested it be mentioned at her funeral that in those years they had their ups and downs, mainly due to the rodeos. She stated that only the women married to rodeo cowboys would really understand what she was talking about.

Nancy became a member of the Order of the Eastern Star during the 1970s; serving as the Worthy Grand Matron in 1980.

Nancy says the grandest of all grand things were the births of those great-grand babies! Kolby, Max, Ruger, Ben, Zeb, Luke, and Zula brought much, much joy to her life. She loved helping Sandy, Dusty, and Jaclyn with those little ones.

After retiring, Nancy also traveled a great deal. She toured around the United States visiting many National Parks. She and A J attended the National Finals Rodeo every year in Oklahoma City and then traveled annually to Las Vegas until a couple of years before A J died.

Unfortunately, Nancy, because of her “butterfly wing bones” as her orthopedic physician described them, faced the necessity of living at a nursing care facility the last several years of her life. After multiple falls resulting in broken hips, pelvis, and shoulder, she needed assistance.

It was not surprising that after moving into Ruth Wilson Hurley Manor in Coalgate, she was soon in charge of operating the snack cart for other patients, organizing Sunday church services, and helping with weekly bingo games. The other patients and the facility staff members became dear and valued friends.

Nancy was a member of the Clarita Methodist Church. Her faith carried her through difficult times in her life and through the deaths of her parents, of “Her Old Cowboy", A J, the deaths of all her siblings, the deaths of two grandchildren and two great grandchildren, other family members and scores of friends and neighbors.

She loved her family without reservation. She made many, many dear friends along the way.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents; her husband A J Shirley, her sister, Opal Marie Venturino and brother-in-law Joe Venturino; by both her brothers Billy Wallace English and Robert Wayne English and sister-in-law Mary English.

She was preceded in death by grandchildren Katelyn Marie Shirley and Dustin Delrea Tucker and great grandchildren Kolby Wayne Argo and Ruger Delrea Tucker.

She is survived by daughter, Elizabeth Ann Shirley of Coalgate, OK; son Jackie Wallace Shirley and wife Tammy of Coalgate; granddaughters Sandra Bishop and husband Brad of McAlester and Jaclyn Darling of Coalgate. Surviving great grandchildren are Max Harmon, Ben Thomas, and Luke Thomas of McAlester, Zeb Tucker of Coalgate, and Zula Darling of Coalgate.

She also leaves behind a host of beloved nieces and nephews and other relatives, and many dear friends and neighbors.

Nancy liked managing her own life and went so far as to choose her own pallbearers. Serving as active Pallbearers will be Jaclyn Darling, Max Harmon, Ben Thomas, Zeb Tucker, Luke Thomas and Tyler Anderson.

Honorary pallbearers include Chock Donaldson, Jerry English, David Ward **************************************************************************************************************************************************

DATE OF SERVICES: 2:00 PM Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
PLACE OF SERVICES: Brown's Funeral Chapel, Coalgate, Oklahoma
OFFICIATING: Bro. Eddie Hogue
INTERMENT: Lehigh Cemetery
CASKETBEARERS: Max Harmon, Ben Thomas, Zeb Tucker, Luke Thomas, Tyler Anderson, Jaclyn Darling
HONORARY CASKETBEARERS: Jerry English, Chock Donaldson, JJ Lambert, David Ward

CONDOLENCES MAY BE SENT TO THE FAMILY BY EMAIL TO: BROWNSFSCOALGATE@SBCGLOBAL.NET. PLEASE REFERENCE THE NAME OF THE DECEASED IN YOUR CORRESPONDENCE

VISITATION WILL BE WEDNESDAY 8 AM TO SERVICE TIME.

SERVICES UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BROWN’S FUNERAL SERVICE - COALGATE, OK