Shirley Dierksen

A Celebration of Life service for Shirley V. King Dierksen age75 of Crescent will be 10 am Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Mausoluem Chapel in Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at the funeral home.

Shirley Virginia King was born to Stella Virginia King in Harlingen, TX on January 12, 1944 and died married to Derald D Dierksen in Crescent, OK on January 5, 2020. When Shirley was born January 12, 1944 in Harlingen, TX, Virginia was not married. Virginia’s Uncle Windfield and Aunt Alberta King took Shirley in as their own to raise with their children Lloyd and Ann, but she was never adopted. The family moved from Harlingen to Brownsville, TX in 1947. In 1958, Aunt Alberta died leaving 14-year-old Shirley to live with her cousin Ann (Riddle) Gann. As a child, she occasionally spent time in the summers with her grandparents Merwin & Minerva King in Starks, LA. She graduated in 1962 from Brownsville HS after attending 16 schools in her 12 years. She met Bobby Robertson on a blind date and they were married February 8, 1964 until October 1981. Their son Russell Wayne Robertson was born January 12, 1967. She remarried to Derald D Dierksen June 11, 1993 at age 49. In March 2013 Shirley suffered a stroke followed by open heart surgery in May of the same year. Her physical health remained somewhat good but her mind began deteriorating due to dementia. In spite of her need for full time care since the stroke, she was able to travel on occasion with her husband until her later months. Shirley’s grandparents Merwin & Minerva King of Starks, LA had four children: (Stella) Virginia (1923), Edward (E.W.), Betty Sue and Patricia King. Her mother, Virginia King, had three daughters: Shirley Virginia King, Anne and Mary Sue Daly. Her great-uncle, Windfield King, Merwin’s brother, married Alberta Riddle who had been previously married and with two children: Lloyd and Ann Riddle. In her early years as an adult, she worked in Austin at the Dept. of Agriculture as a bookkeeper. Later, she worked 15 years (1980-1995) for Tandy Leather, the last 5 of which, she spent as store manager. She lived in Pasadena until her retirement in 1995 when they moved to Spring, TX until Derald retired in 1999. They then moved to Crescent, OK where they built their dream home on the farm. In November of 2017, Shirley was able to reunite by phone with her mother Virginia King (Keller) just before her passing in February 2018 at age 94. Later in 2018, she reconnected with half-sisters Anne (Daly) Herndon, Mary Sue (Daly) Laffere and Aunt Patricia (King) Priddy-Holliday (Virginia’s youngest sister). Shirley enjoyed life in spite of her difficult younger years. She wanted to be the reason someone had joy and to provide experiences she didn’t have. Her life was an example of what can be possible when someone looks past the hurt and finds the beauty in the scars. She loved her husband, even when he was hard headed. She loved her kids and grandchildren. She wished she could have given them the world. She had a love for all animals, especially the catfish in the pond and didn’t like it much when her son-in-law had a fish fry. Her cat, Midnight and dog, Duke lived a sweet, maybe even pampered life with her. Shirley will be deeply missed; especially her cute giggle and even a snort or two. We will never again eat tacos that we won’t think of her. Granny we will miss you dearly. Thank you for challenging us to be more of who we are. We love you. Shirley is survived by her: Husband, Derald D Dierksen Children: Russell Robertson & wife LeAnn, Dwaine Dierksen & wife Becky, Darla David & husband Cliff and Denise Parker & husband Patrick, Grandchildren: Zach Robertson, Gabby Billey & husband David, Mikaela Robertson, Hannah Robertson, Faith Robertson, Canaan Robertson, Audra Harmon & husband Dody, Nikki Gray & husband Shelby, Erin Dierksen, Chase David & wife Lindsey, Chance David, Emilee Parker, Chloe Parker, Great-grandchildren: Isaiah Roberson, Bennet & Nolan Gray, Van David, Raymond Harmon, Siblings: Anne (Daly) Herndon, Mary Sue (Daly) Laffere and husband Don, Aunt: Pat Priddy-Holliday, Many more nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her cousins, Ann Riddle-Gann, and Lloyd Riddle, and her mother Stella Virginia King-Daly-Keller.