Ress, Shirley Jean, 66, of Valrico entered into the kingdom of God on October 13, 2012. She was born on July 31, 1946 in Youngstown, Ohio. She was the daughter of the late Martin and Jean Pavalko. She graduated from Boardman High School in 1964. After high school she was employed by Dairy Queen and worked her way up to manager of a local store in Austintown, Ohio. It was there that she met her future husband. She entered into the sacrament of Holy Matrimony with Joseph Ress in 1969. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and became a manager of a Dairy Queen in Sunrise, Florida. After a few years she moved again, to Tallahassee, Florida. While in Tallahassee, she established several friendships that lasted the rest of her life. It was also there that she welcomed her son, Jeffery, into the world. After making her home there for a few years, she moved to Valrico, Florida in 1980, where she lived and enriched the community with her presence for 32 years. She became a member of Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon. As someone who didn't know how to rest on her laurels, she quickly became an active and involved member of the parish by joining the Nativity Bowling League, not just as a bowler, but also by fulfilling different administrative positions in the league, most notably, treasurer. Once again she made several friends with whom she shared many joyous moments throughout her life, even after she was forced to give up bowling due to her onset of arthritis. She was also active for many years in volunteering at the Nativity Strawberry Shortcake booth at the Florida State Fair. She filled a variety of different roles throughout the years to ensure that the Nativity booth was well-stocked and well-staffed. Later, she continued her parish involvement by volunteering for several years at the Nativity Novemberfest. She did her part and worked tirelessly wherever she was needed in order to fill any gaps, and ensure a successful carnival took place, to the delight of many young attendees. She also took good care of her family, as a talented and thoughtful homemaker, and an accomplished culinary genius. She was famous for her chicken kiev, Italian wedding soup, pork chops, homemade birthday cakes, and Christmas cookie assortments, among other favorites. She was also a meticulous cleaner, taking time to ensure her home was as dust-free as humanly possible. In her spare time, she would enjoy working outside in her yard-- despite the oppressive Florida heat and humidity-- to expertly design and manicure a precisely diverse and colorful landscape. She was passionate about her azaleas. She also enjoyed giving her time and talent to decorate for parties and special events such as anniversaries and banquets, for friends and family. She would spend many hours creating custom flower arrangements, centerpieces, topiaries, and other decorations to the delight of everyone who attended. In recent years, her parish involvement continued on when the Taste of Brandon began its yearly tradition. She volunteered every year that her health would allow, to sell tickets before the event, volunteer during the event, and help clean up afterward. She was perhaps best known for her active participation in the Nativity Friendship Club, and its primary service program, the Nativity Outreach Food Bank and Food Pantry. Each Thursday for several years, she would donate several hours of her time and whatever limited physical mobility that she had that day to sort vegetables, push and distribute food carts, and fill any other role that was needed, in the name of serving those who were less fortunate than she was. Throughout the years, even if she was recovering from a recent illness or hospitalization, she would still make every effort to show up, even if it meant fulfilling one of the less physically demanding jobs. She wanted to do whatever she could, to help out in any way possible, to enrich the lives of those in need in her community. Shirley brought that same spirit of service with her when, in retirement, she became a resident at StrawBerry Ridge in Valrico. If you ever saw her try to get up out of a chair, or try to get in or out of a vehicle, or limp along from place to place, it's a testimony to her selflessness that she still chose to volunteer as often as possible to decorate, or cook, or clean up after any of the numerous events in which she became involved. Most notably, she volunteered and ran the Penny Bingo social event every week (except for the summer break) for the last 5 years. It was said of her, "to think of Penny Bingo is to think of Shirley". She also deeply enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren by playing games, reading stories, going to tea houses, teaching and mentoring them, rejoicing in their various accomplishments, and encouraging them to go farther and dream bigger. And fulfilling her role as grammy, she never let a single opportunity to spoil them rotten pass her by. She is survived and remembered lovingly by her husband Joseph, of Valrico, Florida, son Jeffery (Elena) of Plant City, Florida, four grandchildren, sister Marlene (Ron) of Youngstown, Ohio, and brother Martin (Patricia) of Dallas, Texas. Despite her physical limitations and her litany of medical afflictions, Shirley had a passion for service, for serving others, and putting everyone else ahead of herself. That was the way that she lived her life. 1 Peter 4:10 reads, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." Indeed, Shirley was a good steward, and her family, her friends, and her community will greatly miss her warm, benevolent, and generous spirit. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Nativity Catholic Church-Food Bank 705 East Brandon Boulevard Brandon, Florida 33511 or Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. P.O. Box 418629 Boston, Ma 02241-8629, http://donate.lupus.org