Obituary for Shirley Jean McGhee (McKnight)
Shirley McKnight McGhee, the first born of Lillie Mae McKnight Royster and Lee Thomas, came into this world on April 11, 1940, in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Early in life she accepted Christ in the Baptist Church tradition. Although born in North Carolina, she spent her formative years in Baltimore City. She was educated in the Baltimore City School System. Born to Shirley are her daughters Shirnell Lowe and Sheronda Krug. In 1966, she met a sailor, Durrell McGhee, Sr., at Baltimore's Inner Harbor whom she married. It was love at first sight and he whisked her away to Toledo, Ohio. From this union, Durrell, Jr. was born. Her extended family still resides in Baltimore and welcomed her once annual visits.
For nearly 40 years, she was employed at Libbey Glass. Over the years, the extended family anticipated what type of glass she would send for birthdays and holidays. Those glasses included bi-centennial glasses in red, white and blue; beer steins with a woman's silhouette; and glasses in various shapes and unique colors. In addition to special gifts from her employer, she was a masterful knitter and provided blankets and baby clothes for the birth of babies in the family and special occasions such as graduations. She was a master chef, no matter the dish you wanted more. As a long time Baltimore resident, she could not survive without the Maryland blue crab. When she arrived at the airport, a cooler of crabs accompanied her in the back seat as she traveled to see relatives and a cooler joined her as she traveled back home. She had a sense of humor like no other and an infectious laugh that lit the room. If she gave you a nickname, it was a term of endearment.
She departed this life on August 12, 2020. She leaves to mourn her brother Donald McKnight and two sisters Jacqueline (James) Nealy and Betty (Clarence) Baynes. In addition to her children and her siblings, she leaves behind six grandchildren and they are Myron McKnight, Kelsey Glover, Kyle Glover, Ebony McKnight, Jessica Krug, Ronae' Poindexter, Kaiya McGhee and her last surviving uncle Robert (Elizabeth) Butler. In her final days, Teresa Miles served as an extraordinary caregiver and was of great support to the family. There are a host of great¬grandchildren and other relatives that she leaves behind to cherish her memory.
For nearly 40 years, she was employed at Libbey Glass. Over the years, the extended family anticipated what type of glass she would send for birthdays and holidays. Those glasses included bi-centennial glasses in red, white and blue; beer steins with a woman's silhouette; and glasses in various shapes and unique colors. In addition to special gifts from her employer, she was a masterful knitter and provided blankets and baby clothes for the birth of babies in the family and special occasions such as graduations. She was a master chef, no matter the dish you wanted more. As a long time Baltimore resident, she could not survive without the Maryland blue crab. When she arrived at the airport, a cooler of crabs accompanied her in the back seat as she traveled to see relatives and a cooler joined her as she traveled back home. She had a sense of humor like no other and an infectious laugh that lit the room. If she gave you a nickname, it was a term of endearment.
She departed this life on August 12, 2020. She leaves to mourn her brother Donald McKnight and two sisters Jacqueline (James) Nealy and Betty (Clarence) Baynes. In addition to her children and her siblings, she leaves behind six grandchildren and they are Myron McKnight, Kelsey Glover, Kyle Glover, Ebony McKnight, Jessica Krug, Ronae' Poindexter, Kaiya McGhee and her last surviving uncle Robert (Elizabeth) Butler. In her final days, Teresa Miles served as an extraordinary caregiver and was of great support to the family. There are a host of great¬grandchildren and other relatives that she leaves behind to cherish her memory.