Sign In
Shirley B. Truitt
Shirley B. Truitt, age 89, of Whaleyville, MD passed away Thursday, October 13, 2022 at Macky and Pam Stansell House in Ocean Pines. She was born in Cambridge, Maryland and was the daughter of the late Thomas Woodrow Bowdle and Sara Virginia (Corkran) Bowdle.<div><p><br></p>Shirley left a lasting mark on this community, having taught for fifty years. She retired from the Indian River School District at the age of 75. That lasted for two years before she was back in the classroom on a volunteer basis. She was named Indian River Teacher of the Year twice during her career, an unprecedented accomplishment.<br>She started out teaching elementary school at Salisbury Elementary then Phillip C. Showell, became the reading coordinator for Selbyville Middle School, and then became a resource teacher at Southern Delaware School for the Arts, and Selbyville Middle School, coaching children in danger of not passing the state tests and advancing to the next grade. Hundreds of children (many now adults) may not have advanced without her tutelage.</div><div><p><br></p>Shirley graduated from Salisbury State Teachers College in 1955 and went on later in her career to earn an M.Ed. with a specialty in reading from that same institution. She was a member of the Delaware Retired Teachers Association, volunteered at the Radcliff House and was a member of Whaleyville United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women.</div><div><p><br></p>Shirley and her husband, "Bunk" were avid collectors of antiques. For more than 40 years, they attended auctions and collected clocks, glassware, furniture, Shirley Temple dolls and political memorabilia, among other items. Shirley was also an animal-lover who had a particular affection for cats. Shirley rescued many strays throughout the years including cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, racoons, a chinchilla and birds. In her later years, she cared for local feral cat populations.</div><div><p><br></p>She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Jennie Knapp and husband William of Ocean Pines, Maryland and Sarah Janie Truitt of Wilmington, Delaware; three grandchildren and a grandson-in-law, Whitney McNamara and her husband Jimmy, Katelyn Knapp and Thomas Weiler; three great grandchildren, Caleb McNamara, Remi McNamara and Claire McNamara; and sister-in-law Faye Bowdle.</div><div><p><br></p>She was preceded in death by her husband, Herman "Bunk" Truitt, her son, Thomas Truitt, her brother, Richard Bowdle and sister and brother-in-law, Jean and Otis Bramble.</div><div><p><br></p>A memorial service will be held at 1 pm on October 29 at Whaleyville United Methodist Church. Fellowship will immediately follow the service in the Church Hall. Burial will be in Dale Cemetery in Whaleyville.</div><div><p><br></p>In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Worcester County Humane Society, P.O. Box 48, Berlin, MD 21811 (https://worcestercountyhumanesociety.org) or Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, MD 21802 (https://coastalhospice.org).<br></div>July 14, 1933 - October 13, 202207/14/193310/13/2022
Share Obituary:
Shirley B. Truitt
Loading story for Shirley B. Truitt