Shirley Louise Payne Harrell

Shirley Louise Payne Harrell, 81, of Asheville, passed away at her residence on May 22, 2025.

A native of Buncombe County, she was a daughter of the late Lewis Edward Payne and Mildred Wyatt Payne and was also preceded in death by her husband, Carl L. Harrell; one son, Michael Harrell; and a brother, Don Edward Payne.

Survived by two daughters, Teresa McCarthy (Scott) of Arden and Cherie Ledford (Jeff) of Fletcher; six grandchildren: Katie Harrell, Jacob McCarthy, Alex McCarthy, Ian McCarthy, Sydney Ledford, Addison Ledford and a great granddaughter Kiley Moss. Brother, John Martin Payne (Wanda), sisters, Illa Jean Ingle “Tootie” and Una Gail Banks, and brother & sister-in-law, Charles and Ania Harrell of Peoria, AZ, in addition to many nieces and nephews and special friends.

She was a member of Trinity of Fairview for over 50 years.

Shirley was a homemaker and tended to things while work often took her husband out of town. She took care of three children, raised a garden, played in a bunco group for 40+ years and was actively involved in the Shriners with her husband. She loved her flowers and the patio of her home would radiate with bright, vibrant colors each year. She loved all gospel and country music and was a huge Elvis fan. Her family purchased her an Alexa for Christmas one year and it would often play Elvis hits, along with Conway Twitty, and many others over the years. In the last two weeks, Alan Jackson’s album “Precious Memories” would play throughout the night which provided a sense of peace and comfort to both Shirley and her family.

She loved her grandchildren and was involved in all aspects of their life from the time they were born. She enjoyed taking them camping, on picnics and different adventures. She never missed a sporting event, music concert, or school activity. Her and Tootie loved to throw parties for them on each holiday. When her oldest grandson was in college she mailed him a handwritten letter each week for four years. She would also send cards or special notes to the other grandchildren and would always write at the end, “I love you this much” with a line drawn across the page. While she made her grandchildren feel special, she also did the same for other family and friends. To take the time to send a note or card in the mail was not unusual, even when her health declined. This was a testament to the type of person she was and things she will be remembered for. She loved having yard sales and would turn that into a party as well, providing a full breakfast (and lunch) and spending time talking to the many people that stopped by. Her dream trip was to visit Arizona to see family and this came to life in April of 2023 and included her daughters and their families, memories that hold a special place for the family.

We are so thankful for her sister, Tootie, and for all she did for mom especially when she was no longer driving. She enjoyed being outside and going for rides, it didn’t matter where she went as long as she was in the car. She would reminisce about her childhood days while riding around in Fairview, stop by to see her brother and sister-in- law in Weaverville, go by and see high school friends, and stop in to see her daughters. Thank you could never be enough for what Tootie did for our mom.

The family would also like to thank her special cousin, Geneva Heath, for the phone calls to mom each night as well as the prayers and support.
Lastly the family would like to thank Tara Hyde for her support with Shirley the last 15 months. She loved Tara and we are grateful for all she did. Thank you to the other caregivers that allowed us the opportunity to keep mom at home and honor her until her death.

For all that knew Shirley, they knew her kindness, her willingness to help anyone, her love of God, and her dedication and unwavering love for her family. She will surely be missed by all that were privileged to have her in their life. Her daughters are blessed to have been on this journey with her and will forever be grateful for their time together.

A Funeral Service to celebrate her life will be held starting at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 29 in the Chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian with burial to follow at Tweeds Chapel Cemetery. Her family will greet friends at the funeral home from 5:00 until 7:00 PM on Wednesday, May 28.