Shirley Mildred (Towle) Rudy, age 90, died on Monday, January 4, 2021, at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, of severe covid - pneumonia. She was born December 14, 1930, in Warwick, Rhode Island. Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, George D. Rudy; her parents George Clifton and Mildred (Marston) Towle of Newport, RI; her brother George; her infant sister Thelma; and her best friend, Mrs. Ursula Spurlock of Massillon. Survivors include her five sons: Timothy of Massillon, Michael and Cindy of Massillon, Paul and fiancee Lisa Ciaramella of Jacksonville, Florida, Dennis and Cathy of Edgewood, Kentucky, and Chris and Kim of Canton. Also surviving are grandchildren Nathan, Christopher, Allison, Damian, Sara, and Ben; two great grandchildren in South Africa; numerous nieces and nephews from New Hampshire to Florida; and her sister Mrs. Carol Greene. Shirley was a longtime member of St. Barbara's Catholic parish (from the late 1950s to the late 1960s and from 2006 to the present) and St. Mary's parish (from the early 1970s to 2006). Shirley graduated from the Newport Hospital School of Nursing in 1951 and spent many years attending moms and newborns in the labor and delivery department of the former Massillon City Hospital. Shirley was a creative knitter.  She also crocheted, quilted, and made many gifts for family and friends. There were no calling hours or funeral service at the time of her death due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A Memorial Mass is now planned for Friday, May 13, 2022 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Barbara Catholic Church with Fr. Brian Cline, celebrant.  For those who would like to watch the service, live streaming will be available at https://www.saintbarbaraparish.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arthritis Foundation. Condolences to the family may be made here on our tribute page.

Heitger Funeral Home and Crematory - Massillon Chapel  330-833-3248

Arthritis Foundation
Web: https://www.arthritis.org/