Dr. Robert Franklin Shirley

On Sunday, December 6, 2020, Dr. Robert Franklin Shirley, loving husband and father of four, passed away, peacefully, at Hansen Cottage, 2509 Mission Way in Billings, Montana, at the age of 89, while listening to the song, Amazing Grace.

Robert was born in Queen City, Missouri, on January 7, 1931. Robert’s parents, Paul Shirley and Isabel (Owens) Shirley, had five sons, Lawrence, Robert, Keith, John Paul, and Charles; and six daughters, Laura, Jean, Esther, Ruth, Stella, and Joyce; and two babies who died at birth.

Growing up on farms, first in Missouri and later in Iowa, Robert held many responsibilities, helping out with all the daily chores before and after school. Upon graduating from high school, Robert enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and sailed to Germany, and then, England on the U.S.S. William O Darby, later working in the military hospital, in Ipswich, England. When Robert returned to the United States in 1955, after four years of military service, he enrolled in the dental school at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, graduating in 1960. Robert met his wife, Shirley Ann Kinter, at the U. of Iowa, and they married in 1960. Soon after, they moved to Eldora, Iowa, where they had four children, Greg (+), Janet, Carolyn, and Diane.

Robert was known for: his great sense of humor; his deep satisfaction with composting and gardening; creating tasty homemade wine; chopping huge quantities of fire wood; his ability to sing upbeat rhyming tunes; and his urge to always do what’s right. During his career as a dentist, Robert completed many courses of higher education and specialized training – receiving his Mastership Award, MAGD, in Toronto, Canada, on July 22, 2000, because Robert was always searching for ways to enhance his skills and take care of his patients.

On October 31, 2008, after retiring from 47 years of a very successful career in dentistry, in Eldora, Iowa, Robert moved to Billings, Montana, with Shirley, his loving wife. In Montana, Robert and Shirley joined the First Presbyterian Church, and Robert attended a small-group Bible study with friends, at Perkins, every Thursday, around 6:00 a.m.

Robert loved to travel with Shirley and when their four children were young, they took them on many road trips and ski trips. Some of Robert’s favorite international destinations were: Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico. While in Mexico, he participated in voluntary dentistry mission trips with the Partners of the Americas.

Robert will be greatly missed by his nine grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and all of his surviving family members. Whether living close by or far away, they all held Robert near-and-dear, in their heart. A memorial service will be held in Robert’s honor, at a later date. Family and friends who knew Robert will understand what he meant whenever he’d grin and say, “You’re never done learning.”