Mrs. Katherine F. Shivers, age 82, of Griffin passed away Monday, September 18, 2017.
Mrs. Shivers was born in Roswell, Georgia on November 19, 1934. She was preceded in death by her Father and Mother, Robert Thomas Pannell and Lucy Morris Pannell; her husbands, James Lloyd McCurry, Antonio “Tony” Baez and Richard Glenn Shivers; her brothers, Robert Pannell, Herbert Pannell and Ralph Pannell; her sisters, Elizabeth Garrett, Ruth Jones, Mildred Moon, Virginia Pascal, Myrtle Phillips, Geraldine Green, and Evelyn Pannell. Mrs. Shivers was a member of Griffin First Assembly, was a retired dietician and lunchroom manager for the Pike County School System.
She is survived by her son, James Randall (Randy) McCurry and wife Tammy of Fayetteville; granddaughter, Mallory McCurry of New York, New York; grandson, Jake McCurry of Fayetteville; several nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Shivers had a miraculous life. As one of many siblings born to a father who was a farmer and ordained minister and a mother of strong faith, Katherine suffered a leg injury as a young, playful girl. Whereas a round of antibiotics would have resolved the resulting infection in today’s medical world, doctors recommended removal of her leg. Her mother was faced with a difficult decision: loss of a limb versus possible loss of life. She kept her leg and after six months and numerous surgeries, she emerged from the hospital on the road to recovery.
Mrs. Shivers married James Lloyd McCurry at a young age and traveled extensively as the wife a serviceman. After thirteen years of marriage, and believing she would bear no children, she gave birth to her son, James Randall McCurry.
Although Mrs. Shivers lived a life of joy, it was not without heartache, as she became a single mother upon the death of her husband in an automobile accident in 1965. She was remarried in 1967 to Antonio “Tony” Baez, a Korean War veteran, but after thirteen years of marriage she was widowed once again. After grieving deeply for a time, she was again remarried to Richard Shivers, a Korean War veteran, in 1981 and remained married for over twenty years until she was widowed a third time in 2004.
Perhaps Mrs. Shivers greatest joy was the birth of her grandchildren, Mallory and Jake, and she so loved to spend time with them. As they grew older and she became less and less able to leave home for more than a few hours at a time, she was with them in spirit, as she would get a map and ask us to show her the exact address of Mallory’s apartment in New York, or exactly where Jake was living at school and where he was playing baseball. While her body may have been in Griffin, Georgia, her heart was wherever they were. She will be greatly missed.
Visitation for Mrs. Katherine F. Shivers will be on Thursday, September 21, 2017 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Conner-Westbury Funeral Home. A funeral service will be conducted on Friday, September 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm in the chapel of Conner-Westbury Funeral Home. Reverend Greg Marsh will officiate. Interment will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery.

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