Shirley Marie (Sunden) Davis, 84, of Belvidere went to be with the Lord on December 26, 2022. She was dedicated to her family, her faith, and her community.

She was born to Carl and Mabel Sunden on January 23, 1938 in Belvidere. She graduated from Belvidere High School, class of 1956,  and went on to continue her education with a Bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Elementary Education with minors in music and Biblical studies.

On  September  30, 1961, she married John L. Davis, Jr. They enjoyed 50 years of marriage and raised four daughters. They loved traveling and went to all but four of the fifty states together. They also visited Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Russia, and Ukraine. Shirley began her teaching career at Bloom Elementary in 5th grade and taught  7th and 8th grade Language Arts at Rockford Christian School. She also served as a church planter coordinator at Slavic Gospel Association in Loves Park, IL from 1995 to the present.

Shirley was an active, life-long member of  the Evangelical Covenant Church. She was a choir director, organist, and pianist, Awana commander, Sunday school  teacher, assistant superintendent, member of the Praise Team, Christian education committee, VBS director, and Sunday school secretary-treasurer. She also planned many all-church themed parties. She loved research and study, especially of the Word of God, and created and delivered years of adult Sunday School lessons at her church.

In recent years, she wrote and published three childrens' books and an autobiography. She loved decorating her home and entertaining family for holidays. She loved puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, and  playing piano for relaxation. She enjoyed shopping, bird-watching, and knitting, and  sent over 1300 scarves to mission organizations worldwide. She also made sure that every grandchild had a handmade baby blanket.

She is survived by her children, Cynthia (Richard) Troyer, Valerie (Charles) Peterson, Tanya (Mike) Hulstedt, and Kristine (Bryan) Dickson, 20 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by many extended family members and friends whom she loved dearly.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, John, sister, Pauline (Vernon) Vesta, infant sister, Betty Ann Sunden.

A visitation for Shirley will be held Thursday, January 5, 2023 between the hours of 5-7pm at Anderson Funeral Home located at 218 W. Hurlbut Ave in Belvidere, IL. The funeral will be Friday, January 6, 2023 at 11am at Evangelical Covenant Church, 220 E. Harrison Street, Belvidere, IL 61008, preceded by a second  visitation from 10am until the time of service at the church. Burial will be at Belvidere Cemetery. Memorials to Evangelical Covenant Church and Slavic Gospel Association will stand in Shirley's memory.