Shirley A Hickman, 84, passed away Sunday, August 25, surrounded by her loving family. BornAugust 3, 1940 in Long Beach CA, Shirley was the eldest of four daughters born to Doyle Graff and Mildred (Johnson). Doyle Graff passed in the 1950s and Mildred married Vernon Singleton, who raised Shirley and her sisters as his own. Shirley is survived by her husband Lloyd Jackson of Whidbey Island, WA, her two children, Debbie Flory (Alan), Sandpoint, ID and Greg Hickman (Danelle), Marysville, WA, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Shirley graduated from Highline High School in Burien, WA. She began her career at Boeing in the typing pool, but quickly moved up the ranks. After a few years of work, she started her family with her first husband George (Bill) Hickman. In the early days the family spent their weekends out on “the peninsula” with Bill’s family. Once the kids (Debbie, Jeff & Greg) got older, weekends were about house remodeling projects, the boys baseball games (Shirley keeping score), and Debbie’s Camp Fire Girls where Shirley was the troop leader. The family moved to Redondo, WA, where many sunny days were spent on the beach or in the water. By this time Shirley was a contract negotiation administrator for Boeing’s Defense Department, with hundreds of paralegals working under her. She also was a devoted friend to the late author, Ann Rule, and in later years she contributed to Ann Rule’s book Practice to Deceive.
Shirley was the matriarch of the family. She was organized to a “T”. When her sister Carol became a grandmother to twins, Shirley thought nothing of driving to CA to help the new family out for a few weeks. She and Bill also loved being with their grandchildren (Meghan, Derek, Kyle, Justin, Sean & Chris). The kids knew going to Grandma and Papa’s meant getting spoiled with snacks, playing all the video games they wanted and “camping out” in the living room.
Shirley’s last assignment for Boeing saw her relocate to Lytham St Anne’s in England for a year. After that, Shirley retired to Whidbey Island where she met her second husband, Lloyd Jackson. Shirley loved the quiet island life with Lloyd, helping him smoke fish, working in the garden and watching her beloved Seahawks and Mariners. Shirley was an avid knitter and crocheter and her family and friends have all benefited from the baby layettes and the beautiful cotton washcloths she gives away by the bagful. Shirley always exuded an air of confidence. She was never caught off guard, never came unprepared. If you asked for advice, she would give it to you, straight up. She would say “Getting old ain’t for sissies!” She was thoughtful, kind and considerate to her friends. She was a pillar of strength to her friends and family. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Barbara McCoy, Carol Lovall, Donna Singleton and her beloved son, Jeff.
A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held at a future date.
