Shirley Yvonne West
Obituary

Shirley Yvonne Parks was born in Tyler, Texas, on September 24th, 1934, to Robert and Alma Parks. However, the midwife who assisted with the home delivery inadvertently recorded September 17th with the Texas Department of Vital Statistics. Shirley and her parents didn’t find out about this mistake until she was heading to college. It became the source of a family joke from then on.

Shirley was raised with four brothers, Robert Jr., Rudolph, Jesse, and John. The family moved from Tyler, Texas, to Dallas, and Shirley began school. She attended J. W. Ray, B. F. Durel, and Booker T. Washington, where she graduated at the tender age of 15 years old. That same year, she entered Wilberforce University in Ohio, a historically Black College, and majored in Psychology. Her childhood friend, Barbara Lee, also attended Wilberforce, and they roomed together that first year. The two remained friends until Shirley’s passing.

While attending Wilberforce, Shirley met her college sweetheart, James Lawrence West, and married him at her family home in Dallas the summer she graduated. They lived in Georgia while James completed Ranger training at Fort Benning prior to being assigned to the Scofield Army Barracks in Hawaii. James was transported by ship with the soldiers, but Shirley flew on a plane (for the first time) to join him. They resided in Hawaii, which was a territory and not a state, for two years. Shirley said it felt like a honeymoon the whole time. When they left, they sailed back to the States.

Upon returning to Ohio, Shirley and James lived in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland as James worked and furthered his education. They expanded their family in each city and had Pamela, Donna, Carol, and Robert. Shirley was a social worker by trade, but chose to stay home and raise her children during the early years in Cleveland because she felt no one could do the job better than her. She had a passion for education and helping families, and many people sought her assistance and advice. To raise her children, she stepped back from her career, but still helped other families by providing a safe place for their children when needed.

After Shirley and James divorced, she chose to pursue her dream of living in California. In 1975, she packed up her belongings and children and moved to Los Angeles. This major change was not easy, but she was determined to succeed. And when Shirley West put her mind to something, she was a force to be reckoned with. In the years following, Shirley established a home base for her family in Anaheim, California, and championed them to always strive for excellence in all things.

On October 9th, 2026, Shirley West went home to be with the Lord after living life to the fullest. She is survived by her children and many loved ones, Pamela and Walker Smith (daughter and son-in-law), Olukemi Frison-May (granddaughter), James Smith (grandson), Robert Smith (grandson),  Brielle and William Frison-May (great-grandchildren), Donna Davis (daughter), Christina Davis (granddaughter), Jasmine Davis (granddaughter), Carol West (daughter), Robert and Hurley West (son and daughter-in-law), and Olivia West (granddaughter).

Shirley will be remembered as a loving mom, a cheerleading grandmother for her grands, a protective great-grandmother, and a person who loved to laugh. She enjoyed music and was still swaying her shoulders to Marvin Gaye with a twinkle in her eye at the grand age of 92. May she rest in sweet peace, in that section of heaven surrounded by music and dancing. We keep our memories of Shirley safely tucked away in our hearts and honor a life well lived.