Lewisburg-Robert Garland Shirey passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, at Greenbrier Health Care Center.
He was born on Feb. 19, 1930, in Ronceverte, the son of the late Arleigh Garland Shirey and Audrey Mae Anderson Shirey.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Janet Stover Shirey; along with son, Robert A. Shirey (Emily); daughters, Carol Shirey, Kay Shirey, and Jane Shirey Krebs (Bert); sisters, Charlotte Bradley, Louise Phillips, and Dorothy Talbott. In addition, he is survived by grandchildren, Jennifer Shirey Murray (John), Jessica Martin Henshaw (Shane), Travis McClintic, Christine Shirey Fosdick (Mark), Ashby Martin, Elise McClintic Mann (Cory), E.V. Krebs, Sam Krebs; great- grandchildren: Orian Post, Audra Murray, Oliver Murray, Georgia Henshaw, Sterling Henshaw, Gwen Fosdick, Steven Fosdick; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was raised in Monroe County, WV, and graduated from Union High School. He went on to earn a Pre-Med degree from West Virginia University and Medical degree from the University of Maryland. After completing an internship at Charleston General Hospital and two years of Naval service in Jacksonville, FL, he began his medical practice in Lewisburg. He did General Practice for several years, delivering babies, taking care of children and adults, making house calls throughout Greenbrier and Monroe counties. He also served the Greenbrier County Health Department as health officer and helped orchestrate the mass polio vaccinations in Greenbrier County.
To the surprise of many, after years of General Practice, he decided to go “back to school” and did a residency in Internal Medicine, which required him to commute to Beckley and Morgantown over a three year period. He then returned to Lewisburg to practice at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center along with his office practice, which he continued until his retirement in 1995.
He made the most of his retirement years, getting involved in the lives and activities of his grandchildren, playing a major role in their upbringing. He loved sports, both at Greenbrier East and WVU and was in constant attendance or glued to the radio or TV. He loved his farm at Clintonville, where he spent many hours, accompanied by one of several faithful dogs he had over the years. He was never afraid of hard work or getting his hands dirty, mowing grass, cutting wood, maintaining and repairing his equipment.
He loved his family and his patients and they loved him, as well. He will be deeply missed and left a lasting impression that will live on in those who knew and loved him.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Sue Wilson, Angela Radford, and Drema Seldomridge, his caregivers. Without their compassionate assistance, he would not have been able to remain at home until his last few weeks. We also want to thank Dr. Connie Anderson and the wonderful staff at the Greenbrier Health Care Center for the comfort and care they provided to him in those last days.
A private memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. at the Wallace and Wallace Lewisburg Chapel. It will be streamed live and a link to the stream will be available on the Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers or food, contributions may be made to The Lewisburg United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 69, Lewisburg, WV 24901; Greenbrier East High School Baseball, 273 Spartan Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901; or Greenbrier County Humane Society, 151 Holliday Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901.
Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in White Sulphur Springs is in charge of arrangements.
Please send online condolences by visiting www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com.
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