Obituary: Shirley Mae (Porter) Connery - Class of 1953

MADISON - Shirley Mae (Porter) Connery, age 74, of Madison, passed away on Monday, March 1, 2010, at Four Winds Manor in Verona with her family by her side. She was born on May 6, 1935, in Madison, the daughter of Helen (Armstrong) and Alfred Porter. Shirley grew up in the Greenbush area of Madison and graduated from Madison Central High School in 1953. She married Richard Connery on Dec. 11, 1954. Shirley enjoyed gardening, music, reading, crossword puzzles, birdwatching and feeding the birds, her cats, picnics at Vilas Park, and Sunday afternoon drives with the family. She was a talented sketch artist. Shirley worked for Troia Steak House for many years and retired from 28 years of service with the Internal Revenue Service in 1996. She is survived by her son, Michael D. (Faye) Connery of Verona; two granddaughters that were the love of her life, Callie Mae and Cassandra Margaret Connery; two brothers, Ronald (Sandra) Porter and William Porter both of Madison; and two sisters, Jeanne Sigmond of El Paso, Texas, and Beverly Fitzgerald of McFarland. Shirley had a special love for her many nieces, nephews and friends. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; former husband, Richard; and mother-in-law, Lucille Friesleben. Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 8, 2010, with Chaplain Steve Zwettler presiding. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.on Sunday, March 7, 2010, and from 10 a.m. until the time of service on Monday. Inurnment will be held at a later date at Highland Memory Gardens. Memorials may be made to Angel's Wish or to HospiceCare Inc. The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at Four Winds Manor in Verona and her HospiceCare team for the loving care and attention given to Shirley.Gunderson East Funeral and Cremation Centers 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on March 7, 2010