Lipscomb community to celebrate the life of Shirley Boone at special service
Shirley Boone is remembered for her passion for Christian education, her faith and her love of family.
Kim Chaudoin |
Pat and Shirley Boone have given generously of their time, talents and financial resources to support Christian education.
The Lipscomb community will celebrate the life of Shirley Foley Boone at a memorial service Thursday, Feb. 21. The service will take place at 2 p.m. in Collins Alumni Auditorium on the Lipscomb University campus. The service is open to the public. A reception will follow the service.
Shirley Boone transitioned to eternal life on Jan. 11 at age 84 in Beverly Hills following a lengthy illness with her family by her bedside. Shirley was the beloved wife of Pat Boone. They were high school sweethearts, graduating from Lipscomb Academy in 1952 and attending Lipscomb University their freshman years. They married in November 1953 and were partners in their life’s work from that time to the present.
Shirley Boone
“Perhaps more so than any couple in Hollywood, Shirley and Pat saw their relationships in the entertainment world as opportunities to share their faith and minister to others. Shirley was passionate about her love of Jesus, expressive in sharing God’s presence in her life and contagious in her hope others would embrace the life-changing Christian story,” remembered Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry.
Lowry recalled while in college visiting Shirley and Pat’s Beverly Hills home for times of Bible study and prayer around the big table in the family room.
“The nature of inquiry was intentional and the spirit of Christian fellowship freely offered,” he said. “While at times at the top of the world of music and theatre, Shirley and Pat have always been driven by their personal faith and been highly influential in sharing it with the world.”
Mrs. Boone helped establish Mercy Corps, which has become an international charitable organization dedicated to addressing economic, environmental, social and political problems. She also published writings, hosted television shows and recorded music. She is the daughter of Red Foley, a country singer of the 1930s and ’40s known for his recording of “Peace in the Valley."
In early January, Rhonda Lowry, presidential spouse, traveled to California to visit and pray with Boone.
“Through both good and challenging times, Shirley’s faith defined her life,” reflected Rhonda Lowry. “She knew who she was and whose she was. And, because of the that, she looked forward with confidence to her ‘going home.’”
The Boones believed strongly in the value of Christian education. They have given generously of their time, talents and financial resources. In 2007, Shirley and Pat started an endowment fund for Lipscomb University’s social work program with a $100,000 gift in honor of Pat’s brother, Nick, a retired assistant professor of social work at Lipscomb.
In 2016, the Boones pledged $5 million dollars as the lead gift for what will be the Boone Family Center for the Performing Arts at Lipscomb University. This project joins the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University as living legacies of their support for Christian higher education. Generations will be blessed by their return to Nashville through the establishment of the performing arts center at Lipscomb.
Mrs. Boone is survived by her beloved husband, Pat, their four daughters — Cherry, Lindy, Debby and Laury — and their spouses and children among numerous other family and friends. A memorial service in Los Angeles will be held on Feb. 16.