Shirley Jean Kilgore

Shirley Jean Kilgore, age 92, passed away peacefully at home on December 18, 2021.

Shirley (Percival) was born in Beverly, Kansas in 1929.  Her early youth was spent in Salinas, Kansas, and briefly in Denver, Colorado.  In 1940, she and her family moved to Glendale, California.  In 1946, she met “the boy next door” who was an army air corpsman, returning home from the war in the Pacific/Asian Theater.  In 1947, she married the love of her life, James “Bud” Kilgore.  During the child-raising years, they lived in Whittier, California, and Shirley held several different positions in the LA school District. She and Bud loved to travel and explore the deserts and national parks of western US.  Yosemite was a favorite. Following Bud’s death, Shirley moved on her own to the rural town of Etna, CA, where she lived 13 years as an active member of the community and of Scott valley Berean church.  In 2018 she moved with family to Montana. Shirley’s father had homesteaded as a child with his family in the Winifred/Roy area, and the lure of Montana was always an item for family discussion. In the short time she lived in Corvallis, Montana, she quickly grew to love the people and the beauty of the Bitterroot valley.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband Bud Kilgore. She is survived by her four children, Jim, Peggy (Ower), Nancy (Smith), and Michael and multiple grandchildren, great grandchildren and her sisters Elaine Workman and Jan Fields.

A Memorial Service will follow at 1:00 p.m., in the Corvallis Community Church. Condolences can be left at wwww.dalyleachchapel.com.

I look up to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Ps 121: 1-2