Shirley J. (Linthicum) Gilliard

East New Market—Shirley J. Gilliard, 89 passed away in her home, surrounded by family and friends, Dec. 7, 2017.

Shirley was born in Cambridge, May 16, 1928, daughter of Agnes Mamie Tyler Linthicum and Thomas Greene Linthicum of Church Creek. She married Arnold Edward Gilliard of Cambridge, one of the founders of Linkwood-Salem Volunteer Fire Co. Auxiliary where she served as an officer. On August 25, 1945, she married Arnold Gilliard, who passed away on November 17, 2005. Shirley was a past member of the Friendship church and both she and Arnold were members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 4-2.  Arnold and Shirley were happily married for 58 years. They resided in Cambridge, Linkwood, and ultimately East New Market, where Arnold passed away in 2005.

She loved her home, raising her four children and creating warm memories. Weekends she and her family enjoyed boating on the bay in Dusty II and Dusty III. She also demonstrated her exquisite culinary talent when prepping meals for Linkwood Homemakers Club dinner parties. Her favorite moments included spending time with her family to share her unbelievable cooking skills.

Her professional life includes time working in the Arcade Movie Theatre, the Cambridge Shipyard snack bar, Rob Roy, Seaford DuPont, and in the meat department of the Colonial Store (Big Star) where she retired in 1982.

Shirley is survived by her four children, Arlene Peters, Brenda Fritze, Barbara Yost, and Danny Gilliard and wife Joann; grandchildren, Donald Peters and wife Joanie, Donna Peters, Ryan Peters, Dawn Welter and husband Mark, Bobbie Jean Knauer, Robert Willey Jr. and wife Barbie, Brian Yost and wife Bambi, Christina Cooper, Jason Gilliard and wife Allison, and Renee Warfield and husband Jason; her sister Suzanne Marsh of Chesapeake, Va.; fifteen great-grandchildren, a special niece and nephew Bo Linthicum and Nina Cox and several other nieces and nephews. Shirley is preceded by her parents and husband; brothers Thomas Edwin Linthicum, William Wallace Linthicum, Charles Gilbert Linthicum and Thomas Brooks Linthicum; sisters Mary Greene Parks, Pearl Lorraine Shenton and Frances Estel Pasko.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons Donnie Peters, Ryan Peters, Rob Willey, Brian Yost, Jason Gilliard, Jason Warfield and honorary pallbearers Jimmy Simmons, Rodney Cannon and Ronnie Dukes.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 1 pm at Thomas Funeral Home, P.A. with Pastor Dennis Gilliard officiating. Interment will follow at Old Trinity Churchyard. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions can be made to Linkwood Salem Volunteer Fire Company, Linkwood, MD 21835 or to Coastal Hospice Foundation, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, MD 21802.