Shirley Rainwater

Shirley Rainwater, 69, of Eatonton, Georgia, passed away on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Hart’s Mortuary, Jones County Chapel.  Reverend Sean Beck will officiate. The family will greet friends for a reception one hour before the service. Burial will follow at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens, 7070 Houston Road, Macon, Georgia.

Shirley was born on March 11, 1955, in Greensboro, Georgia, to the late Paul and Allie Pierce.  She grew up in Jones County and graduated from Jonesco Academy. She loved playing basketball during her high school years. Her vivacious spirit would follow her all her life.

Shirley was the example of the Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31. She was a business minded woman who owned and operated her own restoration company, Duraclean of Macon.  She worked hard, provided for her family, made the best use of her time, and enjoyed life with great passion.  Shirley was a member and treasurer of Calvary Baptist Church.  She enjoyed laboring at her church and ministering to those in need.

She found much joy in camping in her RV with her family, friends, and pets. Shirley loved fishing and being outdoors.  She also found joy in volunteering at Atrium Navicent Medical Center.  She taught painting classes in the infusion center, the Cancer Wellfit at the Wellness Center.  Shirley also taught scrapbook classes in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit.  Painting became a favorite way to spend her time, and she excelled in teaching art classes throughout the Southeast.  Shirley loved painting so much that she became a certified One-Stroke instructor, developed by Donna Dewberry.  She also used her talents and certification to teach painting classes at Carlyle Place, Michaels, Joann Fabrics and Crafts, Hobby Lobby, and Massee Lane Gardens.

Shirley would travel to arts and crafts events, displaying and selling her beautiful art. Thrifting became a great hobby and she enjoyed refinishing furniture and remodeling.  Shirley also loved gardening, especially working with flowers.  Her yard was always so beautiful.

Shirley had a dream of living on the lake, and she made that dream come true.  She made the full circle of life by returning to Greensboro, where she was born.  Every morning, she would wake up with a grateful heart and think of ways to make someone’s day a little brighter.  That brought her so much joy. She never met a stranger, and she always made friends with anyone she met.  Her smile was contagious and would light up any room. Joy was the theme of Shirley’s life.  She will be dearly missed by her family, her friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her on this side of heaven.

Shirley is survived by her sister, Mary Pierce Parks (Larry) of Forsyth, Georgia; her stepson, Ken Rainwater (Patricia) of Macon, Georgia; her stepdaughter, Sherrie Hester (Johnny) of Macon; her niece and nephews, Keith Parks(Amanda), Bradley Parks(Laurie), Kim Sheffield(Chuck), Boyce Rutherford(Kelli) and Gary Paul Plummer; her cousins, Marie Straley, Lorraine “Doodle” Allen, Eddie Gilbert, Skipper Seabolt(Joann), Paulette Moon, Floretta Thomas(Charles); and her canine companions, who she loved dearly, “Soffee” and “Lady Mae”. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lane Rainwater; her sister, Charline Pierce Wells; and her nephew, Austin Rutherford.

Please visit www.hartsmort.com to express your condolences.

Hart’s Mortuary, Jones County Chapel, 307 Pecan Lane, Gray, Georgia, has charge of the arrangements.