Shirley (McDonald) Rush

Former Independence Township resident Shirley Anne Rush passed away Aug. 31, 2021, with family nearby. She had battled heart and kidney issues for the last few years.

Shirley was the beloved wife of the late Donald W. Rush; loving mother of Donald P. Rush, Barb (Jeff) Felker, Patricia Wallace, and Nancy (Alex) Piper; devoted grandmother of James, John, Jeremy, Jackie (B.J.), Dylan, Chelsea (Bret), Ally, Katie, and Gracie; proud great-grandmother of Aubrey, Elodie, Sawyer, Lincoln, and Tommy; and dear sister of James (Deb) McDonald, Janice (Paul) Hirt, the late Barbara Barrells, the late Jo Ann Guest, and the late Jerry McDonald. She was also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Shirley was born in Columbus, OH on Sept. 24, 1936 to James and Nannie McDonald. She was the first of six children born to the couple. Shirley attended Detroit Public Schools, before obtaining office work at Excello Corp, in Detroit. She met her husband Donald in 1959 and married him on November 11, 1960 at St. Christine’s Catholic Church in Detroit. The couple moved their family to their Clarkston Road home in 1971. They stayed in the area until Donald’s death in 1996. Shirley then moved to Sterling Heights to live with her daughter Nancy Piper’s family, where she lived until her passing. She loved being a wife, mother and grandmother and enjoyed reading and musicals like Singing in the Rain.

Shirley’s life will be celebrated by family and friends and her memory will live on always.

Arrangements are under the direction of David Wysocki Funeral Home in Warren, Michigan. Donations in Shirley's name may be made to the Hospice of Michigan (www.hom.org).

Please share a memory, thought, or prayer with Shirley's family here at her Tribute Wall.

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