Shirley Ann Walker May, age 86, passed away peacefully on February 27, 2026, at Poplar Springs Nursing Home in Meridian, Mississippi.

Visitation will be from 1:00 pm until 1:50 pm on Monday, March 2, 2026, at Newton County Funeral Home North, 9998 Hwy. 15 N., Newton, with funeral services beginning at 2:00 pm in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in the Eastern Cemetery in Forest, Mississippi. Bro. Gabe Swann will officiate. Newton County Funeral Home - North is in charge of arrangements.

She was born July 9, 1939, in Forest, Mississippi to Eugene and Ida Walker. She was raised in Forest and carried throughout her life strong values of faith, family and hard work that defined her early years.

Shirley devoted her early career to caring for others as a nurse at Rush Hospital. In addition to her nursing career, she and her husband founded Lazy Acres Christmas Tree Farm in 1980. Through her dedication and vision, Lazy Acres became not only a family business but a place where countless families created cherished memories.

She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who loved her family deeply. Shirley was a member of Hickory Baptist Church and was a great prayer warrior. Her strong faith in the Lord was the foundation of her life and, and she was a source of strength, encouragement, and love to all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harry Raburn May and her parents, Eugene and Ida Bassett Walker.

Survivors include her son, Michael May; daughter-in-law, Cathryn May; her daughter, Pamela May; her brother, William Lee Walker; her granddaughters, Mikayla Chaney, and Katelyn Massey; and her great granddaughter, Rynna Jane Carey; several nieces and nephews also survive.

Shirley's legacy lives on in the family that she loved, the lives that she touched through nursing, and the enduring tradition she helped create at Lazy Acres Christmas Tree Farm. She will be remembered for her unwavering faith, her loving heart, and her lifelong devotion to her family and to her Lord.

Newton County Funeral Home, 9998 Hwy. 15 N./Eastside Dr. Ext., Newton, served the May family.

An online guestbook may be signed at www.newtoncountyfuneralhome.com