After 89 years, on Thursday February 19, 2026, and at her daughter's residence, Mrs. Shirley G. Graves left us to join her Maker in Paradise.

Shirley had a joyful spirit and a full heart. She loved to connect with people and listened without judgment. She delighted in food from around the world but could never go long without biscuits and gravy.

She came into this world on a warm and sunny July 29, 1936. Growing up in Thomaston, Georgia, she was the youngest of four and a giddy Daddy's girl. On pay day she followed him downtown to pick up groceries and try to talk him into buying her a cookie. He'd buy her two!

Later she came to love roller skating, dancing, and tooting her French horn in the high school marching band. As an adult, she was proud of the work she did: she helped manage accounts at an Atlanta credit bureau before it became Equifax, she was an assistant manager at a shoe store in North Carolina, and in Florida, she assisted in the manufacture of parts for the Space Shuttle.

Growing up as a Baptist, her faith was deep and guided her through every day of her life. She kept a running list of Bible passages that moved her and was always eager to share those teachings with anyone who needed comfort and direction.

Shirley had an uncanny talent for remembering dates and could rattle off anniversaries, birthdates, and death dates of any family member. That's because she loved family, growing especially close to her daughter Danita's family when she came to live with them eight years prior to her death.

She is preceded in death by her parents William B. and Allie Ruth Self Riggins, as well as her husband Wayne Ray Graves, brother, William Riggins, and sister, Ruth Elizabeth Morris. Her survivors include her daughter, Danita Mank and son-in-law Stephen along with grandchildren Sterling and Rowan Mank, all of Atlanta. She is also survived by her sister Gloria Rust of Thomaston as well as everyone else whose life her kind soul touched.

She will be remembered in a graveside service on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Crystal Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Monday, February 23, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. at Coggins Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University at www.winshipcancer.emory.edu or the Toco Hills Community Alliance Food Bank at https://tocohillsalliance.org