Shirley Joyce Flear

Jeff Green | Feb 26, 2025

Passed away peacefully on February 15, 2025, a few days before her 94th birthday.

She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Shirley leaves behind her husband of 72 years, Dennis Flear, along with her four children: Bradley Flear (Catherine), Kerry Ramsey, Gordon Flear (Teri), and Marie Lane-Smith (Stephen).

She was a loving and supportive grandmother to ten grandchildren and a proud great-grandmother to seven. Born in Essex county, Ontario, Shirley grew up on a farm in Putnam, Ontario, before pursuing a secretarial diploma. She worked for White Rose Oil company and later Ontario Hydro in London, Ontario. In 1953, she married Dennis, and together raised their family in Godfrey, Ontario.

Shirley balanced the demands of raising four children (without disposable diapers and fast-food!) with an active role in her community. She ran a ‘feeder’ school bus route and worked as an educational assistant at the local elementary school. A dedicated member of the Daughters of Rebekah Lodge and the Woman’s Christian Temperance union, she also attended local united churches. Shirley loved learning- whether studying Latin, taking sewing and ceramics classes, or learning to use an Ipad at the age of 91. She especially enjoyed quilting ‘bees’ with community friends.

She was an avid reader and a devoted friend, always keeping in touch with loved ones and offering words of encouragement, even when confined to bed in her later years. Shirley spent her last years in Paris, Ontario, where she lived until her passing with her youngest daughter. She will be cremated, and a private interment will take place at Piccadilly cemetery in Godfrey, Ontario, at a later date. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the PSWs, nurses and doctors in the Paris area whose care and kindness brightened Shirley’s days in her final years.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice or to the Princess Elizabeth Lodge, 4186 Colebrook Road, Harrowsmith, ON, K0H 1v0.

“Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter now into your rest."