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Harper County, Oklahoma

Mount Olive Cemetery

© Billings Funeral Home
Submitted by: Terry Dudley

Rose Ella Lucille (Shirm) Day

April 26, 1931 ~ August 13, 2022

Rose Ella Day, 91 year old Woodward resident died Saturday, August 13, 2022. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, August 20, 2022 in the First United Methodist Church with Reverend Shannon Davis officiating. Interment will follow in the Fern Mount Olive Cemetery, North of Woodward.

Rose Ella Lucille (Shirm) Day, was born April 26, 1931 in rural Ellis County to W.E. "Buck" and Edith Alma (Shuyler) Shirm. She was the third of seven children. At the age of three, she rode a horse alongside her father on the Irish Syndicate Ranch near Fort Supply. She loved horses and the outdoors.

Rose Ella attended Austin Valley rural school and then Fort Supply. She graduated from Selman High School as Valedictorian in 1949. She then attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva.

During her school years she excelled at basketball. In one particular ball game against Buffalo, playing as a forward, she scored a game high 35 points. Occasionally she played guard because of her quickness on the court. She was most always the high scorer on the team. One newspaper clipping her daughter found said this: "Basketball Starlet of the Week: Rose Ella Shirm: High point lady in all but one game of the season. Badly bruised knee makes it impossible for perfect playing. Nerve to stay and fight. Straight A student. Junior."

Rose Ella was honored to be asked to play on two National Women's AAU basketball teams- the Conoco Oilers and Kiowa Frigidaires. She played in two AAU tournaments - one in Dallas, Texas and another in Wichita, Kansas. Her grandchildren couldn't believe that Grandma played basketball until pictures were shown. She also played for fun on a Woodward Women's Town Team called the Pink Panthers.

On August 30, 1950, Rose Ella began her career as a legal secretary with the law firm of Hieronymus and Wright. She had a long career spanning 63 years, working with a variety of lawyers but only a very few firms. She started her career at age 19 and retired at age 82.

Rose Ella married Gerald F. Day on September 6, 1953. To this union two children were born, Janet, and Neal. Gerald passed away just nine days after their 50th wedding anniversary.

She never lost her love of horses and the outdoors. "Grandma Day" as she was known could be seen at numerous junior rodeos, horse shows, playdays, and high school rodeos, keeping an eye on granddaughter, Kelly and grandson, Keith.

She also had a love for her roses and flower beds and her yard and fence decorations as evident by her home and back yard fences.

Rose Ella is survived by her daughter, Janet Griebel and husband David; son, Neal Day; three grandchildren, Keith Day; Kelly McDonald and husband Troy; Jesse Stephens and wife Jen; seven great-grandchildren, Tyler Day; Austin Day; Slade McDonald; Macy Jo McDonald; Kayla Akeman; Lynda Akeman; and Melissa Akeman; sisters-in-law, Catherine Shirm; and JaNene Day; there are also numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and other relatives, and a host of friends who knew her throughout the years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, six siblings, Lora Garrett, Ernestine Gay, Barbara Shepherd, Jim Shirm, Avis Ortega, and W.E. "Rusty" Shirm.