Shirley Ross Young Block
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Shirley Ross Young Block
She called herself "Shirley Ross" because it made her sound feisty, Southern, friendly and interesting?and she was all that. Born May 12, 1927 in Houston, TX, she was a fourth generation Houstonian. Her parents were Vanita King Young and Jack Young. Shirley Ross was proud of her Texas heritage, going back to her great, great grandfather, Thomas Shirley, and her great, great, great grandfather William A. Van Alstyne, a principal stockholder in the Houston & Texas railroad.
She graduated from Lamar HS, attended the University of Texas and Southwestern University, then graduated from the University of Houston. Shirley married the love of her life, Edward Martel Block, on September 2, 1950; they were married for 66 years until his death in 2016. The couple moved from Houston to Brenham, TX, then to St. Louis, MO. They also lived in Chicago, IL, New York City, Summit NJ and Key West, FL. Shirley was president of the St. Joseph's Hospital auxiliary in St. Louis. In New York she was on the Catholic Church's Inner City School Board. In Key West she was on the board of Old Island Restoration, the Friends of the Library, Key West Pops, and was a volunteer at the St. Mary Star of the Sea soup kitchen.
Some of her passions were, in no particular order: buying and decorating homes,frequently throwing the bestparties, solving NY Times crossword puzzles, and talking on the phone with an army of dear friends amassed over 95wonderfulyears.
First and foremost, sheproudly and lovingly raised her three rambunctious sons, Mark, Steve and Stuart. She was unflappable in the face of Steve jumping out of a tree with an umbrella, emulating Mary Poppins. (Bad outcome, so Shirley assumed the role of ambulance driver and EMT.) Or Mark jamming the throttle open on his minibike, then seeing how far he could ride hands free. (Not far, as it turned out, so Shirley the nurse cleaned up the wounds.) Or Stu's Matterhorn misadventure causing a total shutdown of Zermatt's main ski lift. (Other skiers were not amused until Shirley "the fixer" stepped in to handle it). Always protective of her kids, she even took flying lessons and soloed in Ed's airplane, on the assumption that an inevitable emergency would require her to take over the controls and save the family.
Shirley's three boys gave her eight grandchildren: Justin Block and Adam Block (from Mark and Ida Lew-Block); Elizabeth Campbell, Amanda Block (deceased) and Garrison Block (from Steve and Nancy Garris Block); and Jamie Zedell, Jason Block and Jessie Block (from Stu and Linda Hedrick Block). Her five great-grandchildren gave her immense joy: Garris, Corson and Bowie Campbell; Jameson and Jax Zedell. She was over the moon with happiness when Stuart married Judy Weiser Block at her home in Key West last year.
Affectionately known as "Mimi" to her grandchildren, she was not shy about sharing her opinions?on hairstyles, eating habits, home decor and major life choices. Equal to her fierce honesty was her generous heart. She was a giver. At the end of the day, she would hug the family tight, give them a kiss, remind them they made her proud and say, "I love you very, very much."
Shirley died peacefully in her sleep on July 21, 2022 in Key West, FL. A memorial service will be scheduled later in the year. In lieu of flowers, Shirley asks that donations of time or money be made to the SOS Foundation, which provides food, goods and services to the underprivileged residents of Monroe County. (305) 292-3013; https://www.sosfoundation.org