Shirley Brown Obituary

Shirley Bishop Brown CHARLESTON - Shirley Bishop Brown, 74, of Charleston, SC, affectionately called "MeMa" by her grandkids and many others, passed peacefully from this life to the next, at home surrounded by love, and unsurprisingly on her own terms, on Jan. 3, 2024, following a sudden decline in her health. Although this was not on her time, she knew it was on God's time, and she was ready to see her beloved Ralph and her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Shirley was born July 8, 1949 to the late Eddie Madison and Lavinia Creech Bishop. She spent her childhood in Ehrhardt, SC, graduating from the former Bells High School before moving to Columbia to attend the University of South Carolina, where she ultimately completed her Master's in Nursing. On December 20, 1970, she married the love of her life, Jacob "Ralph" Brown. After beginning her career bedside nursing, she taught nursing at USC for several years before taking another position teaching at the Medical University of South Carolina and moving to Charleston. She later moved into case management for high-risk obstetrics, and then ended her career as an outcome manager, during which time she initiated programs that have had a lasting impact on the care MUSC provides, before retiring in 2005. She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Ralph, whom she had to live far too many years without, and her parents. She leaves behind her only daughter, Miranda McManus (Rod), and five grandchildren that she loved more than anything, Conor, Trinity, Madison, Robert, and James. She is also survived by her two sisters, Clelia Sanders and Marsha Garrard. If you know the Bishop girls, you know the bond they shared. They have always been incredibly close and supportive of one another, and in the end, Shirley's younger sisters rallied around her and her family as they have always done for each other. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews and other beloved family, as well as many others who felt like family because that is the way she always treated them. Her loving dog, Ruby, whom she adored, will miss her immensely. The family would like to thank the MUSC Cardiology service and all the associated staff for the loving care in her last days, and especially her physicians during her hospitalization, whom she lovingly nicknamed Buttercup, Cutie, Bubbles, Pooh/Po, and Sunshine. Her service will be held at North Palm Church, 7176 Bryhawke Circle, North Charleston, SC, 29418, at 2 PM, on Sat., Jan. 13, 2024. The family will receive visitors at 1 PM in the café off the foyer of the church. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate your donation to the Children's Tumor Foundation through the cause that MeMa loved so very much, Cupid's Undie Run, in support of neurofibromatosis research. You can donate using the following link: my.cupids.org/MirandaMcManus or by sending a check made out to the Children's Tumor Foundation to PO Box 51, Folly Beach, SC 29439, along with an address where a tax receipt can be mailed. Shirley loved hard and knew how to show up for her family and friends, and they were blessed to be able to follow her example and be able to show up for her in the end.