Shirley Mary Forster

September 5, 1941 — August 27, 2026

On the evening of August 27, 2026, Shirley Mary Forster of Frisco, Texas passed away peacefully. Shirley was 84 years old.
 
Shirley was born to George and Shirley Forster on September 5, 1941, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Her father, George, was an officer in the Army and retired as a Brigadier General. Her mother, Shirley, was a homemaker (great caregiver to her four children) and salesperson at Joske’s. Shirley was a devoted Catholic and loved her faith.
 
Shirley loved athletics growing up and competed in numerous amateur athletic swimming meets and received several certificates and medals at the A.A.U. Junior Olympics. In 1955, she graduated high school from Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio. After high school, Shirley began a career as a flight attendant (stewardess in her time) for Braniff Airlines. Her fondest memories as a stewardess were serving Bob Hope, Tex Shram, and the Apollo 17 crew. She also volunteered and assisted on a Police Core flight to Scotland and England. While flying around the United States for Braniff she started attending nursing school at El Centro College in Dallas. Upon her completion of Nursing school, in 1973, she took on a second job being a nurse at Parkland Hospital. While holding down two jobs, she went back to college to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. After working two years at Parkland, she decided to change hospitals and began working at Presby Dallas. She continued to be a flight attendant on weekends and a nurse on weekdays until it got to be too much and so she gave up flying. Once she gave up having two jobs, Shirley gave her extra time to volunteer. She volunteered so much at Presby Dallas that in 1971 she received a volunteer award for serving more than seven hundred hours.
 
On May 8, 1975, Shirley Forster received the involved citizen award in Dallas. She risked her own safety to aid police in the apprehension of an armed robbery suspect. Shirley was leaving a uniform supply company. She noticed a disheveled man looking around nervously and then he entered the company. She decided to stay in her car and see what happened. Moments later, the man emerged, and he was putting a pistol into his belt. She decided to follow the man until he entered an apartment complex. After making sure of the location, she returned to the uniform supply company to provide the patrol officer with the details of where the suspect lived. Her comment to the news reports were “She saw something that needed to be done and just did it.”
 
Shirley was an active member of the Saint Francis Catholic Church of Frisco. For over 20 years, she was an active volunteer at the church and was responsible for the overall preparation, care, and maintenance of the sacristy, altar, and all sacred items used during liturgical services. In October of 2006, Shirley, retired from nursing after working 13 years at Dallas Presbyterian. After retiring, she became a weekly volunteer at the Frisco Food Pantry for several years. Shirley lived a fun filled exciting life and was a great servant to God.
 
Shirley was preceded in death by her father, George; her mother, Shirley McAndrew-Forster; her sister, Penny Shoemaker; and her brother, Joe Forster. She is survived by her brother, George; several nieces and nephews; and two dear friends, Anneleise Rivera and Mary Ann Smith of Frisco
 
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Frisco, Texas, or to Frisco Food Pantry.