Obituary of Shirley Marian Roland

Shirley Roland was born Shirley Marian Anderson on March 20^th 1928 in Milford Nebraska to Irene Thomas Anderson and Bernard Anderson.  Shirley left this world peacefully, surrounded by family at Abbott Northwestern Hospital on July 28^th 2021.  Shirley was blessed with 93 years of life filled with family, friends and lots of love.

 

Shirley was baptized at age 10 in 1938 at Pleasant Green Baptist Church.  She went to high school at Omaha Technical High School where she studied book keeping.  She came to Minneapolis in 1947 at age 19 where she met and married Bill Gray.  They had 4 children together, 3 sons and a daughter.  Shirley and Bill later divorced but a few years later, she met Bevely (Bev) Roland.  They married in 1959 at the Fourth Street Church of God in Christ where she and Bev were members.  They were blessed with 1 more son.  Bev and Shirley spent the next 50 years together until his passing in 2010 at the age of 80. 

 

In her early years, Shirley loved to play piano and loved to sing and dance.  In the 1950s, she and Bev were members of the Cantorians, a local singing group out of Minneapolis. Shirley had the opportunity to travel around the country with Bev as they both were members of the Minneapolis chapter of the Shriners organization. Shirley was an avid reader admitting to have read over 1 thousand books in her lifetime.

 

Prior to marrying Bev, Shirley held temporary and seasonal jobs at various retail stores, such as Sears.  Her proudest work experience was working alongside her mother at the Elizabeth Kinney Institute during the polio epidemic in the 1950s.  The last job she had was that of homemaker.  Shirley loved those years and was extremely proud of the wonderful years she and Bev spent raising their 5 children.  She received great pleasure out of sharing memories and stories of their travels and adventures together with anyone who would listen. 

 

Shirley will be remembered for the way she cared about her family and the love she put into the food she served at many family gatherings.  Her cooking was outstanding!  Some family favorites were her sweet potato pies, 7-up cakes, green beans and vegetable beef soup.  The reason why her food was so tasty was that she made each dish with love.  She inspired togetherness and her family gatherings often included friends she “adopted” as family over the years.  The memory of Shirley will live on in all who had the opportunity to experience the love she so generously shared. 

 

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bevely Roland and her eldest son Lannie Dwynelle Gray and a number of very close friends she considered family.

Shirley is survived by her brother Reverend Lannie Berryman (Mary), children Laurence Duane Gray, Giovanna Denise Williams, Gregory Nolan Gray (Renee), Jay Gilbert Roland, grandchildren Kai Lorstell Gray (Yvette), Amisha Nakia Williams and Jamari Dwynell Roland, nephew Darryl Roland (Linda) nieces Lannette Stewart (Chris) and Janelle Swaider and host of extended family and friends.

 

Memorial Service for Shirley will be held on Saturday, August 7th 2021 and will begin at 11:00am at the First Memorial Funeral Chapel, Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4343 Nicollet Ave South. She will be interred next to her husband at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on a later date.