Meet Team Member Shirley Ferrill

Shirley was born and raised in Wisconsin.  After graduating from high school in 1954 she joined the U.S. Navy.  Boot camp was in Bainbridge, MD; Class A Teleype School in San Diego and duty at Naval Communications Station in San Francisco. 

It was there she met a sailor, Joe Ferrill, and they were married in 1957.  He was transferred to the Philippines and in order for Shirley to go there, she had to take a discharge.  They spent 18 months in the Philippines, then to Norfolk, VA,  Alameda, CA and finally San Diego  They had three children along the way.  Joe retired from the Navy in 1969, and with three kids in school, they stayed where they were. Joe died in 1992.

Shirley was a stay at home mom and Navy wife for a number of years and then were to work for the local church and was the Administrative Secretary for 12 years.  From there she went on the the United Methodist Urban Miniistry Agency for San Diego District and spent 22 1/2 years with them. Her position Local Church Laison, but she also served as case manage, volunteer coordinator and edited a newsletter. 

She retired in 2002 and since then she stays busy with involvements in Veterans organization, United Methodist Women and several agencies where she served on the Board of Directors.  Her interests are reading, movies, theater and politics and traveling.

Her family of three children, four adult grandchildren and a brother and family are all in San Diego and are an important part of her life.