Shirley Renee (Howard) Burton Obituary

With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Shirley Renee (Howard) Burton (Murfreesboro, Tennessee), born in Nashville, Tennessee, who passed away on April 18, 2022 at the age of 65. Shirley was born on January 29, 1957, to the late Mary Elizabeth Howard and Thomas Houston Johnson, both of Nashville, Tennessee. She was the youngest sister of the late Beverly Melinda Christian and Betty Joan Christian (Nashville, Tennessee). She is survived by her brother, Michael Thomas Knox.
Shirley’s life would seem too short to many, but those of us who were blessed to be touched by her, understand that her existence and the imprint she left on our hearts exceed the quantity of time she stayed here.
Shirley spent her early childhood in Detroit, Michigan and attended Detroit public school, where she met lifelong friends: Holly Buchanan-Lake (Terrence), Tina Millhouse (Richard), Gwendolyn Gaston. She often spoke of her “best friends” and the times they had growing up in Motown. Shirley went on to graduate from John J. Pershing High School, along with other notable alumni Willie King, Mable Johnson, and Ed Opalewski. There she was the co-op president and loved to sew clothing for the local fashion shows.
At the age of 20, Shirley had her first child, Stephanie Michelle Davis. Shortly after, Shirley and Stephanie moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Shirley married and had two sons, Donnell Burton Jr. (“Boonce”) and James Edward Burton (“Fatty”). Shirley was a fiercely dedicated mom and mothered many more than just her three babies. She was involved in every aspect of their lives from cooking delicious meals to transporting them to any sporting event. She was full of energy and love. Everyone in the neighborhood could attest to the motherly impact she had on their lives.
While Shirley worked various jobs over the years (US Airways, the Metro Police Department, Ingram, and UBS), she really hated all of them. The one job she spoke highly of and fondly remembered was motherhood and every aspect of it. You could always catch her telling stories of the crazy adventures her babies got into and the crazy ways she managed to get them out of them. Not a day went by where Shirley did not talk about how much her children meant to her - her family was arguably her most important achievement in her life.
In 1995, Brianne Nicole Alexander came into the world and her other famous title “Granny” was born. Following her first “grandbaby” was Brinae Nichelle Alexander, Camron Lamar Johnson, Alana Marie Renee Burton, Donielle Victoria Burton, Tonie Elizabeth Davis, Ariel Isabelle Burton, Kingsley James Burton, Donnell Burton III, and finally, her first great grandson, Milo Alexander. Every grandchild remembers her smacking a nearby surface saying, “They better leave Granny’s baby alone, or Granny’s gone get em” and boy did they know she meant it! From beginning to end, she was what any grandparent dreamed to be. She never missed a game, a match, a report card, or just a chance to say how proud she was.
She loved crocheting, Sudoku puzzles, computer games, anything on the ID channel, the Titans and women’s basketball. Shirley may have even been a dual citizen to the UK, because she recently would only watch British murder mysteries. She knew a lot about everything and what she did not know, she would search Google or YouTube. And don’t let the fact that she hadn’t left the house in 10 years fool you. Shirley was the original “hot girl”. You wouldn’t catch her anywhere without her gold hoops (always real by the way), red nails, and lipstick. She was spunky, bold, and most definitely the Diva who birthed Divas.
She enjoyed gossip sessions with her aunt Rosa Lee Wade; cousins, Rhoda D. Dowell and Sharon Patrice (Pat) Robinson;long-time friends, Vanessa Fugh, Darrell Teasley, and Xansunta Polk.
Shirley was truly the best of us. In every way, she exuded love. There was never wisdom without empathy and always love without judgment. She was a good time – all of the time. Family came first to Shirley, a value she instilled in all those around her.
Shirley was one of the strongest women to ever walk this earth and our family was blessed to have her as the head of the family. The hole left by her absence is impossible to fill. Everyone loved her dearly and will never forget her tenacity, wit, charm, grace (when pertinent) and undying love and caring for them.
Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Shirley Renee (Howard) Burton to pay them a last tribute.