Shirley Livingston has left this world for the next, and the good souls up there are lucky to have her — she knows how to liven up a place.

She passed away Thursday, September 11, 2025, in Savannah, Georgia. She was at home, family by her side. She was 79.

Regarding this obituary, she'd want it to be honest and anything but stuffy. She'd probably like it to be short, too, but would realize that's a tall order in a family full of talkers. As the best listener of the bunch, she practiced patience — while sprinkling in a few eye-rolls. Deservedly so, always well-timed. OK, Shirley, here’s to you. We love you.

Shirley Anne Livingston (née Johnston) was born August 1, 1946, in Jacksonville, Florida. She was known as “Tubbs,” a nickname her father coined during one of her pregnancies. Years later she’d goose him with a croquet mallet as he lined up a putt — not in retaliation, but because the opportunity presented itself. Who doesn’t like a good gag? She gave as good as she got, so she embraced the nickname; her children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and more used it affectionately for the rest of her life.

Her immediate family also called her "The Rock,” because she shouldered the emotional load. She kept lines of communication open. Listened without judgment. Said the things people needed to hear. Shirley didn't have to cock an eyebrow to give you a look that shook you in just the right way. She was as fierce as she was subtle, like her mother. 

A “PK” (preacher’s kid), Shirley was strong in her faith and believed in God’s grace — not a spirit prone to anger, not one who’d want you to fear. She saw the world as a tent with space for everyone and room for acceptance. She shared herself with her churches, teaching Sunday school, leading youth groups, and playing the piano. With Shirley tickling the ivory, an ill-tuned choir would sound dignified and feel supported. Performing live is tough, and she might hit the wrong note herself every now and then. Maybe she’d grin at that: when everybody’s off-key, we’re all on the same page.

Shirley was a reader. Mary Higgins Clark. James Patterson. John Grisham. It’s unknown if she actually read the “Twilight” series, but she formed a mini fan club with her granddaughter and daughter-in-law. Of course they went to the midnight premier — just like they’d wake before dawn for some Black Friday shopping. She liked to go, go, go. She liked to play.

Wow, what an athlete. She would light you up in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Put a tennis racquet in her hand and watch her fire forehands past you — argue line calls, too. Give her a balloon and she’d transform a living room into a court, the couch as its net; yes, she laid out for tough shots. In the best sense she was a big kid. She and her son might try to push each other off the sidewalk on a stroll downtown. Plate up some funk by The Commodores and she’d get down at a wedding reception. Shirley had some moves — and she moved so many people.

Children, especially.

Over her lifetime she was a career educator, and we remember her best as an elementary and middle-school guidance counselor. What a challenging job — often rewarding, often heartbreaking. More than once Shirley took part of her weekend to pick up a student who lived in a tough home environment, or who’d been separated from their parents, and take them to the park for a picnic and some basketball. On the surface that might seem like a simple, if heartfelt, gesture, but consider this: Shirley had to work to gain the trust of those students, their families and guardians, and others, and then convince them that a little break might help everyone. Even if it couldn’t fix everything. That’s Shirley Livingston: maximum effort, massive empathy. Selfless, always.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 49 years, Cecil Donald Livingston, of Savannah — he says he always felt like a somebody when he stood by her side. She has two sons: Tom Lewis (Amy) of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Wade Livingston (Melissa) of Savannah. She has four grandchildren: Alice Lewis of Chicago, Faith Lewis of Raleigh, and Samantha and Katelyn Hoover of Raleigh.

Also surviving: her brother, Rev. Jim Johnston (Kathy Ann) of Spartanburg, South Carolina; her sister, Sara Melton of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; her brother-in-law, Bill Howle of Columbia, South Carolina; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Shirley is preceded in death by: her parents, Rev. James W. Johnston and Florence Newton Johnston; her sister, Rendy Howle; and a son, Daniel Bull.

Since 2019 Shirley has called Savannah home. Previously she lived in the Sylva-Webster area of Western North Carolina. She grew up in South Carolina's Midlands, graduating from Dreher High School in Columbia and Columbia College. She earned a master's in counseling from Western Carolina University, where she later served as an adjunct faculty member.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests a donation in Shirley’s name to any of the following organizations: Epworth Children’s Home of Columbia, South Carolina; The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research; Hospice Savannah.

Lastly, the family would like to acknowledge all of the nurses, CNAs, social workers, chaplains, support staff, and more of Hospice Savannah, who helped care for Shirley in the final month of her life. What a blessing to have such compassionate souls as neighbors and friends. Thank you, thank you.