Shirley Jean (Morrison) Gilkeson

Shirley Jean Morrison Gilkeson

July 10, 1937 – January 22, 2025

With heavy hearts—and a good bit of laughter between the tears—we say goodbye to Shirley Jean Morrison Gilkeson, 87, of Charleston, WV, who passed away peacefully at home on January 22, 2025.

Born in Standard WV, the youngest of Walter and Belva Morrison’s children, Shirley grew up in East Bank and graduated from East Bank High School before attending West Virginia Institute of Technology. A Rhodes Scholarship nominee, she chose instead to stay rooted in West Virginia for the sake of her family—a decision that would define her lifelong devotion to them. She later earned her master’s degree from Marshall University.

Shirley was a lifelong educator with Kanawha County Schools, where she shaped young minds for decades. From East Bank to Charleston High to the groundbreaking Cabell Alternative School and finally Sissonville High, where she served as Chair of the History Department, she taught English, History, and—most of all—resilience and care. She retired in 2003, though some students still hear her voice correcting their grammar or reminding them to sit up straight.

Shirley was a member of the Kanawha Valley Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served in many offices:  WV State Regent from 2004- 2007; State Vice Regent, 2001-2004; Registrar from 1992-1995; West District Chair, WV State Parliamentarian.  She also served the West Virginia State Society and the National Society as an officer and chairman of many committees.  She was an avid genealogist. She was also an officer in the Children of the American Revolution and founded the Kanawha Salines Society.  A proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also a tireless genealogist who could trace a family line faster than you could say “colonial records.”.

But to us, she was Mom. To our kids, she was MawMaw.  The fierce protector, the constant counselor, the one who brushed the living room carpet so meticulously you risked your life stepping on it. She was “house proud” long before HGTV made it trendy. Her Texas chocolate cake was legendary—once mailed all the way to Afghanistan for her son’s birthday—and no visit home was complete without one waiting on the counter.

She never missed a Friday hair appointment, and her bouffant never missed a beat. She was elegance, warmth, and wit—and she gave us all someone to look up to. We like to imagine Skip, her beloved husband, greeting her in the next life with a smooth “What took you so long, darlin’?” and a full-throated “Hey Good Lookin’, Whatcha Got Cookin’?” Their old dog Peanuts and her “grand-baby horse” Aries surely aren’t far behind.

She is survived by her daughter Connie Sue (Joel Boggess); grandchildren Joe and Jenny Boggess of Milton, WV; her son Mike (Andrea) Gilkeson of Davis, CA; and her beloved grandsons Mack and Andy Gilkeson. She also leaves behind her sister Mary, along with a joyful host of nieces, nephews, family, and friends who loved her fiercely. She was preceded in death by Skip, her parents, and her brothers Ronald and Robert.

Allen Funeral Home in Hurricane, WV, handled her with care. A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on July 12, 2025, complete with lasagna, shells and cheese, and one last honorary order from Leonoro’s. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Donel C. Kinnard Veterans Cemetery in Institute, WV, where Shirley is laid to rest with Skip—just where she always wanted to be.

Shirley always said “I love you,” even right after scolding us. She was our rock, our counselor, our cake-baking, hair-done-every-Friday, front-room-enforcing matriarch. And we miss her more than words can say.

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