Shirley Louise Houston

Shirley Louise Houston, beloved daughter of the late Calvin V. McLean and Inell Wright, was born on September 20, 1933.  She was the dedicated wife of the late Irving C. Houston and loving mother of her daughter, Shirley, whom loved ones affectionately called ”Little Shirley”. Shirley Houston departed this life on Monday, July 6, 2020, after battling chronic kidney related illnesses for most of her life.  

Shirley attended the Boston Public Schools and graduated from Girls Latin High School, where she excelled in her academics.  Shirley was a competitive deck tennis player and helped to lead her team to the championship finals.  Her hard work in school made way for her to attend The State’s Teachers College of Boston, where she obtained her Bachelors in Teaching and Education.

Shirley was the oldest of eleven brothers and sisters.  Growing up she helped care for her siblings and was an active member of the Columbus AME Zion Church in the South End of Boston.  She was a faithful member of the Usher Board and also taught Children’s Sunday School for many years.  As an adult, she became a member of the Charles Street AME Church.  There she continued to stay involved in the teaching ministries of the Church and taught Vacation Bible School during the summers.

Being a teacher and educator was the obvious career path for Shirley. She taught and served the students and families of the Boston Public School system for over 30 years.  She was a Reading Specialist in the classroom and enjoyed working with under-performing students to help them thrive and gain the confidence that they needed to succeed.  She would often share sweet, comical stories about the students and how her favorite students made her laugh, like the little boy who said, “Miss Houston, I’m trying, but the Lord just ain’t finished with me yet!”  She would share and relive those types of fond stories with her family, making it so evident that she loved and believed in every child that she taught.

After leaving the classroom, Shirley became a School Administrator who was hired to oversee and coordinate all of the early childhood and kindergarten reading curriculum programs used throughout the Boston Public Schools.  She excelled in her work and was dedicated to the task of making sure that every early childhood program was equipped with the tools needed to give each child a firm foundation in reading.

A consummate educator at heart, in December 2019 at the age of 86 years old, Shirley established the Mary E. McKelvy School Christmas Fund.  She was inspired to do this by her niece Lauren’s mission trip to Ghana, Africa. Shirley was so moved by the work of Missionary McKelvy, that she created the Christmas Fund and successfully raised over $1,500 towards school uniforms and supplies.

Shirley’s favorite pastimes, in addition to being an avid reader, were using her master mind for solving crossword puzzles, beating family and friends at scrabble and conquering Sudoku. She also enjoyed playing cards and hosting family for holidays and cookouts at her and her husband’s house in Newton.    

Shirley was preceded in death by her dear husband of over 50 years, Irving C. Houston.  She will be remembered and cherished forever by her loving daughter Shirley Inell DeLoach and step-daughter Sharon Houston; grandsons Albert Ragster (Maura), Tyler DeLoach, Irving & Shamar Morrison; great- grandchildren Kaela, Brian, Victoria, Ariyah, Aliyhana, Shamar, Jr., Jakai, Avery, and Maya; and living siblings, Lois Kelton-Jones (Robert), Antoinette McLean-Leoney, Karen (McLean) Donaldson Dade, Lynwood McLean, Trudi McLean-Lowery, and Raymond McLean; cousins Jacinth Cooke, Juanita Hardrick, Donna Chatman, and a host of nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends.        

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