Shirley Ruth Fisher Pool of Wichita Falls, TX, went home to heaven December 8, 2022, after a short illness. She was 92 years young.

Memorial Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. January 7, 2023, at Church of the Good Shepherd, 1007 Burnett, Wichita Falls, with The Very Rev. John Munson officiating.

She will be laid to rest next to her husband of 55 years, Major Sydney Smith Pool, Jr., USAF, Retired, in the Good Shepherd columbarium. Arrangements are under the direction of Lunn's Colonial Funeral Home.

The eldest child of the late Sanford L. and Dorothy (Blackman) Fisher, Shirley was born March 11, 1930, in Buffalo, NY. She moved to Batavia, NY, at an early age and graduated from Batavia High School.

An outstanding student and accomplished musician, she learned the piano and saxophone while in school, playing in the band, and singing and playing for glee clubs.

She attended Potsdam State Teachers College (now SUNY) from 1948-50 during which time she met "Skip" Pool. They married June 21, 1952.

Shirley gave up her college degree efforts to be the Air Force wife of a career helicopter pilot. Assignments sent them to AL, VT, FL, TX, Newfoundland, MA, AK, WI, and back to TX in 1969.

Shirley was a gifted artist with an eye for color and décor. She used these skills to found The Elegant Stitch Inc., a high-quality, internationally-acclaimed needlepoint business known for exquisite hand-painted canvases, custom designs and finishing.

She was a founding member of the American Guild of Organists, Texoma Chapter. A long-time student of Dr. Ronald Hough, she was a substitute organist for numerous churches in the area into her 80's. She was also a member of Order of the Eastern Star (Batavia), Agonian Sorority (Potsdam), American Needlepoint Guild, Embroiderers Guild of America, and American Sewing Guild and enjoyed supporting the Wichita Falls Symphony, Museum and Art Center ("Granny's Museum"), Backdoor Theatre, and other local arts endeavors.

She had an incredible memory for names and events and was the historian and story keeper for family and friends, including her beloved Batavia High School reunions and Syd's USAF Helicopter Pilots Association. She maintained contact with hundreds of friends over the years.

Volunteering and generosity were hallmarks of her character. In Newfoundland, Shirley volunteered at a local hospital, serving refugees of the 1957 Hungarian Airlifts. During the 1979 WF Tornado she served with the Red Cross and later headed a needlework project commemorating Terrible Tuesday. Impressed with the hospice care her mother received in 1990 in Florida, she faithfully served Hospice of Wichita Falls for 29 years. Her heart for service also extended to the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank and Presbyterian Manor's Manor Store.

Mentally sharp til death, she was an outstanding bridge player and tutor, often playing 3 times a week. Also an avid reader, Shirley instilled a love of reading in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed traveling, including visiting her siblings yearly in Florida. She attended every family funeral, graduation and wedding, most recently a grandson's nuptials in August and granddaughter's bridal shower in November.

Over the years, wherever she lived, Shirley served her church on the altar guild, in women's groups and choirs, and often as organist, choir director, or on the vestry. While a member of Church of the Good Shepherd, she sang in the choir, played in multiple handbell choirs in the city, was a Daughter of the Holy Cross, active in the Women of Good Shepherd (WOGS), and after Syd's death in 2007, established the church library in his honor.

She is survived by her children Stacey Regan, Sherry Harlass (Mark), and Scott Pool (Joy); grandchildren Sean Regan (Sara), Rachel Harlass Son (Young), Kelsey Regan Nienna, Mark Daniel Harlass, Sarah Pool Wilhelm (Andrew), Peter Regan (Alexandra), Ellan Vannin Regan Oliver (Joel), and Samuel Pool; great-grandchildren Sydney Regan, Meri Oliver, and Samantha Regan; brother Donald Fisher (Joyce) and sister Carol Fahnestock; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorials to Church of the Good Shepherd Parish Hall Access Fund, Hospice of Wichita Falls, Good Samaritan Fund at Presbyterian Manor, or Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.