Shirley Brumfield Obituary

A Woman of Good Counsel and Deeds, Shirley Brumfield, Passes at Age 84
Life is, by necessity, a journey of give and take. Shirley McDaniel Brumfield, who died on Thursday, July 3, 2025, was widely known for taking the path of giving. Shirley was 84 when she passed in her home in Summit, MS, on the land she grew up on. She was surrounded by the family who loved her and who had traveled far to spend her last weeks by her bed.
If a loved one hit on tough times, Shirley didn't turn away from them but toward them-and with more than thoughts and prayers. When a family member lost a job, Shirley made sure their whole family had a Christmas. When someone's wheels gave out, she made them mobile again. When a mother and children lost the roof over their heads, she moved the kids in with her and bought them clothes. Some of her family say they don't know how they would have made it in life without Shirley.
Shirley was unmaterialistic. She lived frugally from her work as a social worker in New Orleans. She bought loved one's nice things that she would not buy for herself. Her beloved husband, Les Brumfield, a former journalist, also preferred a modest life of service. When they retired to a simple home in Tangipahoa Parrish, Louisiana, surrounded by nature and countryfolk, their happiness was complete. Family and friends commented often on how deeply in love Shirley and Les were and how they enjoyed each other's company for 56 years of marriage on Earth. Children in the extended family loved visiting them at home to enjoy the calmness and affection that filled it.
Throughout retirement, the two took in dozens of stray pet's others had dumped. In their white-haired years, after moving to Summit to be near family, they'd sit on an old, cat-scratched sofa at a sunny window, and Shirley would read her Bible and C.S. Lewis aloud to Les, until he passed last year at 91. Now, they're celebrating their eternal anniversary in heaven, where he surely embraced her at the Pearly Gates.
Shirley helped thousands of people who never knew her, doing good on their behalf as a social worker for decades, including as a nursing home inspector.
Friends and family confided in her with what weighed on their hearts. Shirley was a logical, innovative thinker-and Christlike, showing those who trusted her understanding, love, and wise counsel. What you shared never came back to you through the grapevine.
Shirley was smart. She graduated with honors from Johnston Station School, attended Southwest, graduated from Millsaps, and got her master's degree in social work from Tulane University.
Shirley is preceded in death by Les and her brother Larry McDaniel, her mother, Euna Kay McDaniel, and father, Stafford McDaniel. Shirley is survived by her son Ben Brumfield, her sisters (chronologically) Shannon Dunaway, Sharron Albritton (husband Gordin), Sherry Armstrong (husband John), Larry's widow Ruth Humphrey, and nieces and nephews of many generations. She was particularly close to her nephew Steve Laird and his daughter Brittany, and Brittany's children Bobbie and Brooklynn. From the hereafter, Shirley thanks her loving nieces Brittany, Jessi, and Sandy for compassionate end-of-life care along with Deaconess hospice for their kind leadership.
In Shirley's memory, please, honor the words of our Lord's messenger in Hebrews 13:16. "Do not forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices."