Donald Todd Shirley
BARK RIVER — Donald Todd Shirley, 83, passed away on January 5, 2025, after a long decline. Don was born on May 4, 1942, in Three Rivers, Mich., to Philip and Jean (Branson) Shirley. He grew up in Eaton Rapids, Mich., where he developed an early love of fishing on the Grand River. He graduated from Eaton Rapids HS in 1959, and from Michigan State University in 1963.
On December 22, 1961, he married Victoria Hill, a fellow MSU student whom he met when he worked in her dorm’s cafeteria. They recently celebrated their 63rd anniversary. Upon graduation, Don and Vicki lived in Houghton Lake, Mich., but in 1965 they returned to East Lansing and he attained his master’s degree from MSU in 1967 in Special Education. During this time he also helped his father build Branson Bay Golf Course in Mason, Mich. Branson Bay was named after his mother, who had died in 1962.
In 1967 Don got a job in the Gwinn school system and moved to the U.P. The next year he went to work for the Copper Country Intermediate School District and moved to L’Anse. Four years later Don and Vicki, along with their kids Brooke and Todd, moved to a farm in Pelkie. Don loved being a farmer and his time in Pelkie was the happiest and most rewarding time of his life. In 1983 the family moved downstate to Okemos, where Don helped build the second nine at Branson Bay GC, and served as general manager for several years.
In 2000, Don and Vicki moved to Bark River, Mich., so he could fish (and hunt) on Lake Michigan. Don served two terms as Delta County drain commissioner in the early 2000s, but was otherwise retired. He had several close friends in the Escanaba area, including his longstanding coffee group, as well as many spread out across the U.P.
He is survived by his wife Vicki, and children Brooke (Mark) Shirley of Bark River, and Todd (Tazio) Shirley of Pittsburgh, Penn. He adored his grandson Ace, also of Pittsburgh. He is also survived by his siblings Jay Shirley of San Diego, Calif., Andrea (Jerry) Chiappisi of Philomath, Ore., and Sam Shirley of Mason, Mich.
Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, January 11 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Escanaba. Family remembrances will be shared at 12 p.m. Saturday at the Anderson Funeral Home Chapel. A luncheon will be served following the services in the Ludington Room located at the Anderson Funeral Home. The Anderson Funeral Home is assisting the Shirley family with the arrangements and online condolences can be sent to the family at www.andersonfuneralhomes.net.