Shirley Elizabeth (Saunders) Ingram

Shirley Elizabeth Saunders Ingram, 77, of New Castle, Delaware peacefully passed away surrounded by the love of her family on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania on May 5, 1948, she was a daughter of the late James and Pearl (Atley) Saunders.

Shirley was a graduate of Avon Grove High School and had a productive career in banking, both in Pennsylvania and Delaware. She married Jimmie Lee Ingram in 1970 and they shared 29 years together until his passing on February 9, 1999.

Shirley will be remembered as a caring and fun-loving person who had many hobbies. She enjoyed bowling, playing Bingo, card games, trivia, reading, watching soap operas, and spending time with her family and friends. Shirley enjoyed going the New Castle Senior Center to join in on the Book Club, take a poetry class, take day trips and make friends. An avid Eagles fan, Shirley loved watching The Birds play and was especially excited when they won their last two Super Bowl Championships. Shirley found a love of traveling later in life. She was able to visit the West Coast of the U.S., Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Shirley also enjoyed collecting Hello Kitty memorabilia and tea kettles and mugs from around the world.

Shirley is deeply missed by her daughters, Stephanie, Lakeesha, and Teneka Ingram; her grandchildren, Jyree, Jaylen, Jared and Jayce Ferguson.  She is survived by her brothers, J. Kenneth, Robert, Kerry, Michael, and Thomas Saunders; her sisters, Judith and Valerie Saunders. She has a host of loving nieces and nephews, many of whom spent summers at number 6. Shirley also had two notable and wonderful lifelong friends, Cynthia Stewart and Cathy Currie. Shirley also extended her love and kindness to a myriad of childhood and adult friends of her daughters.

In addition to her parents and husband, Shirley was predeceased by her brother, Clinton Saunders and her sister, Barbara Rice.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the doctors and nurses on the third floor of Christiana for their professional expertise and tender care during her stay. Her daughters wish to thank family and friends who reached out with comforting words of condolence, support, and love. Shirley was a gentle soul who was well thought of, loved, and respected by many.

Family and friends are invited to pay their respects at the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Pike Creek on Wednesday, October 1 from 9:30 – 11:00AM.  Funeral services will begin at 11:00AM, immediately followed by interment at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Shirley may be made the Food Bank of Delaware, 222 Lake Drive, Newark, DE 19702 (www.fbd.org), Habitat for Humanity, 322 West Lamar Street, Americus, GA 31709-3543 (www.habitat.org) or Meals on Wheels, 100 West 10th Street, Suite 207, Wilmington, DE 19801 (www.mealsonwheelsde.org).

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shirley Elizabeth (Saunders) Ingram, please visit our floral store.