Shirley Crocker

Our Mother and Matriarch, Shirley Crocker, passed away Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the age of 97 in the Murray home she loved and lived in for 68 years. Edna Shirley Crocker Crocker was born on Mother’s Day, May 12, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Emory Lucius and Edna Victoria Gotberg Crocker. Shirley married Bill Crocker on August 4, 1951, and happily made a home in Murray, quickly becoming an iconic part of the community.

As a young woman, Shirley loved numbers and was a bookkeeper for Freed Finance developing a relationship with the Freed/Lagoon family that lasted for many years. Of the four grocery stores Shirley owned and operated over the years, the Superette was her favorite because of the Murray community and the strong ties she made with her neighborhood friends.

Known in Murray as Superette’s “Penny Candy Lady”, she encouraged the children who visited her before and after school to pick out their own candies, giving them as much time as they needed to select their treats; she often taught them how to count their pennies to make payment. “Shirl” prioritized making friends over making money, was a hard worker, loving Mother and enjoyed talking to her customers, delivery men and neighbors; her sparkling green eyes told everyone that she was truly interested in their lives! A peacemaker through and through, Shirley was also a tough cookie and was known to chastise shoplifters and robbers for their misconduct even at the point of a gun! Her bravery and quick thinking foiled most evil doers. Her little Superette Market was jam packed with everything you might need from cat food to fresh produce and was busy at lunchtime selling 10-cent hard rolls with cheese and the coldest soft drinks in town - there was always someone sitting on the cooler drinking a 7Up or RC cola.

Shirley is survived by her children: Brent, Joyce, Billie and stepson, William Crocker (Judy); six grandchildren (Kevin, Courtney, Dane, Blake, Dakota and Little Willie) and seven great grandchildren (Caden, Lucas, Davon, Simon, Duncan, Rory and Chloe) who all miss and love her very much – she was the glue that held us all together teaching us to be kind, work hard and save for a rainy day. Our lives are blessed because of her, and we were lucky to have her for such a long time. Although she didn’t want to leave us, she missed her friends and family and had been looking forward to being with her parents, brothers (Dick and Crock), good friend Virginia and Bill, her husband of 65 years. She hadn’t seen her own mother in 81 years; now they will sing together again!

Shirley was a warm, generous, smart and loving woman who will forever live in our hearts. Her amazing life will be honored at a Graveside Celebration on Monday, August 31, 2026, 1:30 pm, at the Murray City Cemetery, 5490 S Vine St, Murray, UT 84107. In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of her favorite charities: Utah Food Bank, Rescue Mission of Salt Lake or the National Parks Foundation.