July 22, 1928 – April 10, 2026

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Rev. Betty Shirley. Rev. Betty was a part of MCC since the 80s, serving the church as Interim Pastor from 1988-1989 and volunteering in countless ways since.

Small in stature, Rev. Betty was a powerful force of love, courage, and strength. Rev. Betty fought for rights for women, people of color, and children all her life. She gave hugs the strength of someone three times her size and a quarter of her age.

Ordained by the Indiana Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1950, she and two others were the first women ordained in the church. She served at several pulpits in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida. Due to negative attitudes toward women in the ministry, Rev. Betty also became credentialed as a teacher to be able to sustain herself while serving the church. She thrived teaching just as much as she did pastoring. Rev. Betty taught English and Social Studies and served as a counselor throughout her career. She retired after teaching 32 years, only to return to a “temporary” teaching position in House Springs, Missouri, where she officially retired after 26 years.

In her retirement, she researched her family tree and took great pride in supporting the church as well as many other causes close to her heart. She was faithful in every sense of the word to her family, her work, her students, and our God. She is survived by her wife, Linda Mudd, whom she met in 1993 at MCCGSL, and her grandson, Aaron Smith, whom she adopted in 1989.

Rev. Betty’s funeral will be at MCCGSL on Saturday, April 25th, 2026 at 11:00 am.

Photo to the right was taken after celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Rev. Betty’s Ordination. In the photo: Rev. Betty, Rev. Lauren, and Linda Mudd