Shirley A. Perry Hollinger

Shirley A. Perry Hollinger, 84, of Dover, died Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Community Hospice Truman House, New Philadelphia.

Born March 9, 1933, in Dover, she was the youngest child of the late Earl E and Sophia Hosfelt Beitzel. Her first husband, Delbert J. Perry; a brother, Richard Beitzel; and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Melvin Erb, H. Alan Dunkel, Ellen Hollinger, and Darrel and V. Jane Osborne also preceded Shirley in death.

Shirley's life was a wonderful adventure from start to finish. She attended school in both Dover and New Philadelphia, beginning at Oak Grove School, a one-room schoolhouse, in Dover, and graduating from New Philadelphia High School in 1950. While at N.P.H.S., she served as a model for a Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District ad campaign after being deemed "the girl with the nicest legs" from a group photo of the New Phila. majorettes. Shirley was head majorette in the marching band as well as New Phila.'s very first Rose Queen. An eternal beauty, in 1964 she earned the title of Mrs. Ohio Elk.

Shirley began dating Delbert J. Perry in early 1951 after telling him, "buy me a Coke and I'll sit with you," and on June 10 of that year they happily became husband and wife. Together they raised four children as ornery and fun-loving as the two of them. After Delbert's death in 1989, Shirley spent quite a few years gallivanting around solo, before she again found love. On April 8, 2006, she married Richard G Hollinger, who survives. Also surviving are her four children Mark (Cindi) Perry, Cheryl (Ricky) Brown, Matt (Sheila) Perry, and Sue (Mike) Stokey; as well as eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, Melissa Kelly (children, Will, Madilyn and Mearyn), Chad Perry, Casey, Tiffany (children, Kaleb, Kyrie and Kayleigh), and Eric Brown, Mason Perry, Brock (Katie) and Beth Stokey. Other survivors include her step-son, Paul (Cheryl) Hollinger; sister, Thelma Erb; brother, Jim (Pauline) Beitzel; sisters-in-law Peggy Dunkel and Pat (Ken) Jones; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She enjoyed traveling to places near and far. Some favorite destinations included Hawaii, Alaska, the Panama Canal, and Australia, where she visited her dear friends, Rob, Deb, Alex, Sam, and Tim Caldera. Shirley especially enjoyed her family's annual beach vacations to Garden City, S.C.
She savored sweet wine, salty snacks, and rich desserts. And most recently, bacon - lots and lots of bacon! Shirley loved time spent on the golf course, working crossword puzzles, flipping through her old high school yearbooks, dinners at the Elks Club, playing cards with her girlfriends at Park Village, sharing stories - and poems from the good old days, and telling dirty jokes. She adored her loving caregivers at Hospice. Her final words of advice were, "to be yourself!"

She saw it all, did it all, and had a ball! Don't cry because she's gone, instead have a drink and be glad you knew her. Cheers!

Family and friends are invited to call at the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, Dover, Thursday (today), June 8, 4 – 7 p.m. Shirley’s life will be celebrated in a service Friday, June 9, at 11 a.m., in the funeral home, with Pastor Thomas Dunkle of St. John’s United Church of Christ, Dover, officiating. Burial will be in Dover Burial Park.

The family suggests that contributions in Shirley’s memory be made to Community Hospice Truman House, 716 Commercial Ave. S.W., New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663.