Shirley Purser

Shirley Ann (Stefka) Purser, age 87 of Hilltop Lakes, passed from this life Monday, July 3, 2023, at home. Funeral services will be held at Hilltop Lakes Chapel in Hilltop Lakes, Texas at 10 am Saturday, July 15^th with a committal service at 2 pm at Bellwood Cemetery in Temple, Texas.

Shirley was born on July 31, 1935, in Temple, Texas to Henry Adolf Stefka and Sydonia Marie (Sladvonik) Stefka. She married the love of her life, Gordon C. Purser, on June 10, 1955. They were married for 59 years until his passing. She was a member of and taught Sunday School at the Temple Brethren Church from 1959 to 1994 and served as the Assistant Sunday School Superintendent for several years. She retired from the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center in 1994. She began working at the center in 1967 as a clerk in the Radiology Department and retired as the administrative officer for the Chief of Surgical Services. Having always dreamed of “living on the water,” she and Gordon built their dream home on Lake Tonkawa in Hilltop Lakes, Texas following their retirement. While there, she served as the Secretary to the Hilltop Lakes Volunteer Fire Department for five years. She loved all animals and could be seen feeding the deer, geese, ducks, other birds, fish, and squirrels in the early morning around her home. She was a proud member of the Texas Laureate Eta Beta of Beta Sigma Phi where she served several years as an officer including president twice, vice-president and corresponding secretary. She was elected Woman of the Year three times, was Valentine Sweetheart twice, and received the Order of the Rose. She was a member of Hilltop Lakes Chapel, and she served in the HTL Chapel Ladies Auxiliary. She was an avid and skilled bridge player in several bridge groups “on the hill” until her departure in 2022 when she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be closer to her family. She loved to remember and celebrate birthdays with her friends. She passed away suddenly but peacefully at her home in Tulsa.

Shirley is preceded in death by her parents, Henry Stefka and Sadie Stefka; her husband, Gordon C. Purser; and infant daughter, Baby Renee.

Those left to honor and cherish her memory are her son, Gordon Henry Purser and wife, Jane; granddaughter, Austin Tollette and husband, Michael; grandson, Travis Purser; and 7 great grandchildren, Sophia, Madelyn, Makenzie, Jonas, Saleh, Paul, and Danny.

The family requests that those attending the committal service at Bellwood Cemetery in Temple wear cool and comfortable clothing. Memorials may be made in Shirley’s honor to The Humane Society.

Callaway-Jones Funeral Home oversees arrangements at Hilltop Lakes, and Harper-Talasek Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements in Temple.