Shirley Jean Coarse was born on January 23, 1932 to the late Elizabeth “Betty” Godwin and Ural N. Porter in Newark, New Jersey. She was educated in the Newark, New Jersey School System. Shirley was employed by Dairy Pak, Inc., Uncle Jack’s Restaurant, Shady Oak and Bell Laboratories where she stayed until retirement.
On Saturday, April 14, 2018 our dear loved one quietly and peacefully departed this earthly home and entered into the presence of the Lord at the Morris Hills Center, Morristown, New Jersey. Shirley had a passion for cooking and was famous for her cakes, pies and cobblers. She enjoyed playing the lottery, bingo, cards, bid whist, doing crossword puzzles, watching her favorite soap operas “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and Beautiful”.
She helped feed the homeless with different organizations. She organized bus rides to Atlantic City and various other places and made sure everyone was fed well on each trip. She lived and raised her children at the Manahan Village Housing Complex in Morristown.
The neighborhood kids considered her house as the hangout and she kept them in check. She gave the following instructions which were “do not touch my Pepsi or eat my butter pecan ice cream”. Shirley was very friendly and sociable but did not visit.
She also did not like nosey people as she was peaking out her window. She was known as “Aunt Shirley” to Brenda, Gwen, Lorraine, Barbara, Patty, Valerie, Sheila, Patricia and Thelma Ann. They received the same instructions as her daughters.
Jasai being born made her a Great-Great Grandmother attaining five Living Generations a very rare thing. Shirley was very proud of that “ummm I’m getting old” at the same time feeling very blessed. Shirley loved and enjoyed having a good time with family, friends and the fabulous “Golden Girls”.
If you listen you can hear that infectious laughter and her ringing out “Lawd Jesus” “We Dos” “Hey Cuz”. Shirley in her later years, moved in into the Ann Street Senior Citizen Complex. She was good to all her neighbors by making sure they were fed lunch and dinner.
At times she would setup the residence hall and invite the residents for a full meal as her way of doing missionary work. She lived there until her health failed, then she resided with her daughter, Christine. Shirley was a member of the Eastern Star, Chapter No.
102. Shirley had a special cousin, “Johnnie” who she considered as a brother and to see them together, you would have thought they were twins. They would have “killed a rock” for each other.
She missed him terribly after his death and talked about him often. Shirley kept him and Cousin Geneva stocked with pies and cobblers and that caused a lot of discussion as to whose cousin she was. Shirley was predeceased by sisters, Bernice, Faye and Audrey, brothers Nathaniel and James.
She leaves to cherish her memories: three daughters, Sheila (Jerry) Winston Randolph, NJ, Christine (Jesse) White, Morristown, NJ and Gwendolyn (Edward) Aiken, Stanhope, NJ, one son Elwood Coarse, Maryland, one loving brother Shahid “Whitney”, one sister-in-law Christine Osborne, seven grandchildren, Jamauh, Manika, Ahmed, Choman, Hope, Heidi and Darryl, twelve great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren, a special niece Antoinette Ross and lifelong friends Helen Arnold and Janet Winston. To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Shirley Coarse, please visit our Tribute Store.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
