Shirley Jean Strickland

Shirley Jean Fenton Strickland, age 86, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2026, at Harrah Nursing Home.

Shirley was born on February 6, 1940, in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, where she was also raised. She was the second of four children born to Loren Lester Fenton, Sr. and Eunice Pilcher Fenton.

She was preceded in death by her parents; Loren and Eunice; her brother, Lester Jr.; her son, William; and her husbands, Jimmie C. Welch, Sr. and Chester E. Strickland.

Shirley leaves to cherish her memory her two daughters, Shirley Diane and Brenda Faye; her three sons, James Timothy Welch, Jimmie Curtis Welch Jr. and his wife, Amy, and Richard Kevin Welch; 15 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her brother, Kenneth Richard Fenton (Diane) of Saraland, Alabama, and her sister, Thelma Faye Fenton Booth George of Spanish Fort, Alabama, along with many friends, cousins, and relatives who will cherish her memory.