Shirley May Main
Uncasville — It is with sad hearts that we tell you of the passing of Shirley May Main in the waning hours of June 28, 2019. Born to Arthur and Winifred Barber, Aug. 22, 1923, on the farm where the Norwich Industrial Park now stands, she grew to be a strong and resourceful woman. Her life journey ended in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Pamela and Stephen Dutka, where she lived and laughed for the past 20 years.
Graduating from NFA in 1942, she married Richard Lester Main in Norwich in 1944 and together they raised Kenneth and Pamela before retiring to Florida in 1985. After his passing Shirley successfully took up the challenge of living independently before relocating back to Connecticut to be with family.
Always a smile, always a kind word, always a laugh from this sweet soul, she deeply loved her family and showed it every day. And though her early life was hard, she was known in school for her “sunny disposition,” a trait she carried to the last day of her life, thanking everyone around her. She was a seamstress, an archer, a bowler, a fast walker, a builder, a problem solver and a dreamer of ranches out West. She loved sledding, reading, sewing, hiking, jelly donuts, animals, Spain, a pile of raw vegetables, Cape Cod, dancing, playing games, root beer floats and sitting in a sunny spot near the flower garden.
Her leaving has left an unfillable void in the lives of so many. In addition to Pam and Stephen, left to remember her always are her son Kenneth Main and his partner Penny Mills; grandchildren, Benjamin, Andrew and Charles Dutka, Sherri Rupe; great-granddaughter Amber Main; niece and nephew, Joyce Pillion and John Benker and families; all the Barber clan; dear family friends, Annette Benker and Carol Ruell and children. Shirley’s first cousin and best friend for all of her 95 years, Mildred MacDonald, will be 100 this coming February.
Shirley is now in the company of those loved ones who have gone before. She was predeceased by her brother, Arthur Barber; husband Richard who left us too soon; and grandchildren, Dennis Main and Bethany Main.
With lasting gratitude, we thank the skilled and compassionate caregivers who provided unmatched tireless support during a very hard passage. We consider them true friends. They are Nancy Metayer and her son Aiden, JoAnn McCoy, Debbie Smith, Barbara Gillingham, Susan Way, and Matthew McCoy, JoAnn’s grandson, who made her laugh and became her last dance partner.
Shirley May is not “resting.” She is dancing still, to ’40s Big Band music, finally with her husband Richard.
A graveside memorial service in which her ashes will be buried together with his is planned for the early fall.