Shirley (Taylor) Rose

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend – Shirley Hughena Rose, on November 22, 2025 at the age of 85.

Born in Georges River on June 6, 1940, Shirley was the daughter of the late Charles and Jessie (Coffin) Taylor, one of 11 children who grew up in a small, country home where the bonds of family were abundant, even if little else was. As a young girl she enjoyed going down to the bridge with her friends, or walking to North Sydney to see a movie or go to a hockey game. She grew up with a long daily walk to the one room school house at Little Bras d'Or West.  From a young age she worked, being hired to clean the homes of neighbours before moving on to North Sydney.  It was while working in the Nova Grill in North Sydney that she met her husband of 62 years, Ronald Rose. Together with Ronald, Shirley built a simple life based on the same foundation of love and family from which she was raised. She loved to play bingo and cards with her sisters. She looked forward to the annual Taylor “Family Day” summer reunion in Georges River when everyone would make the trip home for a time of boiled dinner, horseshoes and other games, stories and laughter. She was well liked by everyone. She was a loving mother. She will be deeply missed.

Left to mourn her passing are her children – Donna (James) Foster, Suzanne (Guy) Cox, Gary (Janette), Paul (Karen); grandchildren – Jonathan Fells (Ian), Sacha Cox, Joey (Cass) Cox, Jocelyn Foss, Robert Rose, Mary Lynn MacPherson, Nathan Rose, Jacob Rose, Nick Rose, Sarah (Joey)  Bullock, Will (Autumn) Matheson, along with great-grandchildren – Brayden, Nevaeh, and Maliyah MacPherson, and Charlotte Foss; siblings – Gwen Keeping, Linda Bennett, Joan Warhaus, Betty Beanlands, Charles, Donald, and Thomas, along with in-laws – Jack, Jimmy, and Lou Rose.  

Besides her parents, Shirley was predeceased by her husband Ronald in 2021, a loss from which she never truly recovered, along with daughters Faye Matheson and Bonney Murphy, as well as sons in law, David Fells and Matthew Murphy. She was further predeceased by grandchildren Emily Jean Fells (in infancy) and Daniel Foster, along with siblings – Ralph, Marjorie Taylor, and Bonnie Eaves, and in-laws – Gert Dunphy, Pamela Boyden, Ruby Harnish, Ada Haggerty, Bertha McCormick, along with Jerry, Andrew, and Wilfred Rose.   

Visitation for Shirley will be held from 2-4pm and 7-9pm on Friday, November 28, 2025, at the W.J. Dooley Funeral Home at 107 Pleasant St. North Sydney. Funeral service will be held at 2pm on Saturday, November 29, in the W.J. Dooley Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Debbie Fice officiating. Burial will immediately follow at Lakeside Cemetery in North Sydney. In lieu of flowers, condolences can be made to a charity of choice. Online condolences can be left for the family by writing on the tribute wall at wjdooley.com. 

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