Minister Shirley Elaine Sullivan

Shirley Elaine Sullivan was born on October 31, 1956, to the late L.C. Southward and Velma A. Southward in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. On Monday, December 16, 2024, Minister Shirley peacefully transitioned to be with the Lord.

Shirley attended Iuka High School and later pursued higher education at Northwest Shoals Community College, earning a degree in Childhood Development. From an early age, she was deeply rooted in her faith, joining First M.B. Church in Iuka, Mississippi, where her spiritual journey began. Shirley dedicated her professional life to serving as the Director of Ekklesia Preschool and Child Development Center at the Sheffield campus.

A woman of deep faith and a proud member of Ekklesia Ministries, Shirley served as a deacon and a devoted intercessor, fully trusting in the power of prayer. Answering her divine calling, she was licensed as a minister of the gospel. Her passion for her church and her community was unwavering, and she faithfully served until her health no longer allowed.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Area Lee McDaniel, her brothers Jimmy Earl Southward and Billy Southward, and her daughter Sonya Candida Sullivan.

She is survived by her loving husband of 43 years, Edward Eugene Sullivan; her son, Travant Southward; and her stepchildren: Monique (Pastor Dexter) Stanley of Cherokee, Alabama; Zetheland (George) of Athens, Alabama; LaVonda Parker of Boothwyn, Pennsylvania; and Jacolby (Cory) Sullivan of Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Shirley also leaves behind three brothers: Benny Southward of Corinth, Mississippi; Bobby (Vicki) Southward; and Ricky Southward of Iuka, Mississippi; four sisters: Earnestine Taylor of Flint, Michigan; Martha (Harry) Bonds of Corinth, Texas; Ella Farris of Florence, Alabama; and Mamie Mason of Killen, Alabama; one brother-in-law, Michael Doss of Cherokee, Alabama; and two sisters-in-law, LaVonda (Bruce) Allen of Athens, Alabama, and Barbara Sullivan of Barton, Alabama. She was a loving grandmother to ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren and will be fondly remembered by a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

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