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Shirley's obituary

Shirley Ann Stamps first entered this world on Dec. 13, 1949, born in Detroit, MI to Jessie May Hazelwood and Willard Stamps. She had a host of brothers and sisters named Noah Jackson (m. to Virginia Attaway-Bellamy), Junior Stamps, Willard Young-Stamps, Loretta Bailey (m. to Gerald Bailey); Deborah Carter (w. of William Carter); Michael Stamps (m. to Lisa Stamps) and Etta Hawkins (m. to Gerald Hawkins). She was a quiet child, highly organized with high ambitions in life. She found a companion and friend in her grandmother who passed along to her the first introduction in the healing arts of their ancestry.

She dreamed of being a flight attendant, imagining herself wearing the stylish fashions assigned to them at the time and jet-setting the world. Yet fate had other plans for her and those plans included motherhood. Though a lonely and challenging adjustment, God provided strength and peace in her journey. She took up the challenge of bringing up each of her 6 children to fulfill their own unique paths. She doggedly upheld her mission of being the best mother she could, sacrificing and postponing her own dreams for the love of her offspring.

During the rearing of her children and always a highly energetic being, she went to finishing school and became the first black model for John Robert Powers. She was involved and involved her children in Junior Achievement to ensure their educational success to go with ease beyond where she had stopped. She was a bank teller, a waitress and eventually worked her way to a career at Michigan Bell, which allowed her to buy her first house in her own name. Eventually, she became a marketing executive for Ameritech and after leaving there finished her corporate life with a14 year career at the insurance giant, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan(BCBSM). She refused to be told that she could not be successful and have kids.

Her spiritual awakening happened during her 12 year marriage to Jeff Staples. After a brief stint with the Black Muslims, she entered the world of Christianity. As she struggled to find her place within this world and answer the many burning questions her soul demanded of her Creator, her answer came in what she forever would call, "her baptism of fire." Sometimes, she would refer to her religion as a "desert island religion," one in which she would only need to commune with her Creator alone in order to conduct it with non of the other traditional instruments and symbols required by more mainstream religious organizations. She, nonetheless, was a life long student, who maintained her curiosity of other faiths delving into and being able to relate to those of the Hindu, Buddhist and other philosophies.

After her retirement from BCBSM in 2005 and upon the disability of her then husband, Joe Franklin, she began her study of massage therapy at Irene's Institute of Myomassology. Here, unknowingly and pulled by what she thought only as circumstantial, she found her life's mission and passion for health and wellness. She faithfully cared for Joe through his amputations and various diabetic related conditions, constantly researching new techniques to utilizes to contribute to his bodily health. Spurred by this passion, which was often times practiced on herself and family, she found Reiki. Upon completion of her degree in Myomassology, she also received her induction into the art of Reiki.

Provided with massive amounts of energy by this fire lit within, she went to China in 2008 to study Tui na at the same clinic that provided wellness services to the Olympic athletes. She dabbled in Lomi Lomi massage techniques, Craniosacral, hot stones and cupping. She worked for Pure Salon & Day Spa, Massage Green and the Wellness Center of Plymouth. Based on her extensive knowledge obtained from continuous study online and in various schools and practices, she built a thriving, exclusive massage business. Many of her clients, who would follow her anywhere, became her personal friends.

Her desire to help people and protect her family did not end with her interest in wellness. Starting with the Y2K scare of 1999, she began to take interest in preparing herself and others against the dramatic, life altering changes that could occur from attacks or glitches in the outside world. She, simultaneously to her massage endeavors, voluntarily participated in several community organizations such as The Salvation Army; Detroit, Farmington Hills and Novi's Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T), Detroit Citizens Police Academy, Detroit FBI Citizens Academy and Metro Detroit Youth Day. She also took an exam for and passed the Advanced C.E.R.T certification. Her most outstanding contributions to the Metro Detroit area and her local teams were the awards and distinctions she obtained through her leadership  and training of Detroit C.E.R.T. Eventually her volunteer experience led to a traveling, paid instructor position with the International Chemical Workers Union.

Her last and final mission was to a Wellness Center, particularly for the elderly, where they could rest and become whole again through the many techniques and treatments she acquired throughout her life. In preparation for this, she obtained a business degree from Madonna University and wrote out a complete business plan. She believed this mission to be unfulfilled when she passed on June 14, 2022. What she didn't understand was that she was a Wellness Center to many. Her heart and home was their place of rest and her hands restored many to the wholeness they desired.

She will forever be loved, cherished and remembered. Where one would seek pieces of her, they can be found in her surviving children: Dorian Westbrook (m. to Randy Westbrook); Joseph McGlory; Christine Jordan (m. to Terrance Jordan); Earl "Yano" McGlory; Megan Dhar (m. to Vishut Dhar) and Russell Phillips.

Her legacy is sustained by her grandchildren: Danyale, Christopher and Nicholas McGlory, Andrew Ashley, Brandon Thompson, Kristin and Terrance Luke Jordan and her great-grandchildren: Cattleya, Aliyah, Trisden, Amir Ashley and Tenia, TeVaughn, TeVais and Illias McGlory.

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Recent contributions

$50.00
Nicole Bickley
$2,500.00
Anonymous
See all contributionsRight arrow
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Shirley Franklin