BY DON COLLINS
God’s Faithful Servant
Remembering Shirley ONE JOY OF BEING W ITH S H I R L E Y I N L AT E R Y E A R S WA S MEETING OTHERS WHO WERE ALSO VISITING HER. SOMETIMES I T WA S A P E R S O N W H O H A D COME TO CHRIST AS A CHILD IN SHIRLEY AND ROSIE’S CLUBS, CRUSADES, OR CAMPS.
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SUMMER/FALL 2020
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hat a joy to remember Shirley Whitehead! Those of us privileged to call her friend will never forget her. Over the past few years, Shirley down-sized from the three-bedroom suite she shared with co-worker Rosie de Montmorency, to a onebedroom apartment. Health concerns necessitated transitioning to assisted living and then to personal care. But Shirley up-sized on March 26 of this year when she passed from this world to heaven. Although life had become difficult and she longed to be with Jesus, she stayed positive and enjoyed most days, almost until the end. Shirley identified with the apostle Paul, who longed both to stay and to go (Philippians 1:21-23). “Either way,” Shirley often said, “I win.” Shirley stayed true to her call of full-time ministry, which she experienced shortly after her 1952 graduation from Toronto Bible College (now Tyndale University). She and Rosie joined Canadian Sunday School Mission (now One Hope Canada) within the year. The pair served faithfully, first in rural Manitoba Sunday schools, Bible clubs, and school classes. Later, their ministry expanded to Bible camps and children’s crusades across Canada. Theirs was a fruitful ministry, with many children coming to Christ and growing in faith. One joy of being with Shirley in later years was meeting others who were also visiting her. Sometimes it was a person who had come to Christ as a child in Shirley and Rosie’s clubs, crusades, or camps.
