Shirley Bell Mertins was born at home, 1001 N. 16 ^th Avenue, Pensacola, on October 28, 1928. She was the last of her generation of our family. Her life was like a Hallmark Movie that we call "Shirley, Our Christmas Bell."

The story opens at the Christmas Ball at Pensacola High School in 1944. Shirley was a sophomore representative on the Court, which also included Rob Palmer and Carl Mertins. They were among other young men trying to interest the beautiful girl from one of Pensacola's most established families. Remember these names because they become important later in the story!

Growing up in East Hill meant attending N.B Cook, A.V. Clubbs and Pensacola High. High school was business as usual - except for one thing: a World War that impacted families throughout the country. As students, they too were part of the Greatest Generation, collecting scrap metal to be recycled. Her brother Randall served in the European Theater. Both older sisters, Barbara (Marcoux) and Judy (Perry), married military men and moved away from home. Shirley said that was why she was not allowed to date anyone west of Palafox – those handsome military men took their wives far away!

Shirley was the baby of the family, eight years younger than brother Randall. Her father, Randall Ray Bell, owned Runyan Boats and Motor and Runyan Machine and Boiler Works, along with other water-related businesses. Family activities were naturally oriented around Bayou Texar and Pensacola Beach. Her mother, Petrea Olsen Bell, died during Shirley's senior year in college, but fortunately her aunt Miriam Olsen Campbell lived across the street. "Booma," as she was known, stepped in as a surrogate mother.

In the next scene, Shirley is in the ballroom of the Historic San Carlos Hotel where she was a princess in the 2 ^nd Fiesta Court and the Revellers of Ariola. She was definitely "The Bell of the Ball". Always reserved, Shirley shied away from being the center of attention, but it was during these years that she developed into a Southern "Bell" - graceful, proper, and particular.

After her graduation from high school in 1946, college called and Shirley left for Tallahassee where she became a Kappa Delta. It was not FSU then, but Florida State College for Women. The University of Florida in Gainesville was mostly men, and many a Gator would hitchhike to visit Tallahassee. (As veterans returned from the war, the school began admitting men and it became Florida State University by the time she graduated.)

During college, Shirley reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Rob Palmer, and they were married in 1951. They lived in New Orleans while he finished Tulane Medical School, eventually returning to Pensacola after a stint in the snow of Illinois, courtesy of the Air Force.

With the arrival of four children - Petrea, Carolyn, Bob and Ray - within a six-year span, our next scene features Shirley as the consummate multitasking homemaker of the 1960's who juggled household duties, active membership in the Jr. League and involvement in many areas at First Presbyterian Church. She starred in this role as she was a master of organizational skills and attention to detail. (Camera zooms in on refrigerator magnet: "I'm not picky, I'm nit-picky!")

She was known for her hospitality, even pulling off decorating the ping pong table to seat guests at holidays for decades. Supper clubs, book clubs and bridge clubs gave her life balance from the responsibilities of her immediate and extended family. Community activities included the Speech and Hearing Clinic, the Thrift Shop, the Women's Home and Gulf Coast Kids House, now housed in the old A&P where everybody knew her name.

Known as "Mama Palmer" to the East Hill neighborhood kids, Shirley was not all lace and lipstick! Magnolia Avenue friends Betty and Shorty Ward taught the family to camp, only losing the boys once and only for 6 hours. Expo '67 in Montreal and the Rockies were two of the adventures made in tandem station wagons pulling pop-up campers. The "Captain's Ball" was a highlight of sailing trips with the Sherrills and Nickinsons. She even learned to snow ski when she was 50!

Next up is a flashback to an earlier segment in which we mentioned the boys who were vying for Shirley's attention.  As luck and love would have it, another high school friend, who happened to have kept a photo of her from his Gator days, invited her to the Ariola Ball in 1987. Life had come full circle. Shirley and Carl Mertins were blessed with 29 years of marriage, many golf trips with friends, train vacations and family gatherings until his death in 2017.

The second-to-last scene is a celebration of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family was always the center of her life, and this time was filled with smiles, hugs, singing, reading, games, fishing off her dock, raw Easter Egg toss and Shirley in her starring role.

The final scene happened on Christmas Day of 2022. The family gathered together for their traditional Christmas afternoon gumbo. Navy Chaplain Laura Palmer gave the prayer.  There were games, singing, presents and great food, but like all Hallmark Movies, it ended with kisses - for Gran, Our Christmas Bell.

Shirley Bell Mertins died peacefully in her sleep on January 11, 2023. A celebration of her life will be at 2:30pm on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Surviving cast includes:

Daughters, Petrea Tomko (Joe) and Carolyn Appleyard (Dick); sons, Bob Palmer (Marianne) and Ray Palmer (Susan). She was "Gran" to  Noah Tomko, Sam Tomko (Synnove), Kate Appleyard VanMeter (Nate), Leslie Appleyard Ryan (Kevin), Rick Appleyard (Mallory), Laura Palmer, Carolyn Palmer Victoria (Scott), Lindsey Abdeen (Corey), Perry Palmer (Kym), Michael Palmer (Kate) and Christopher Palmer (Betsy) and eleven great-grandchildren, Aurora Tomko, Ellie Caldwell, Miller Caldwell, Jordy VanMeter, Palmer Ryan, Campbell Ryan, Conrad Victoria, Perry Palmer, Hudson Palmer, Roy Palmer and Rosie Palmer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that she be remembered by performing a random act of kindness or with a contribution to the charity of your choice.

Please remember her advice: "Stand up straight. Don't wear horizontal stripes. Leave things better than you found them."

To view the livestream of the service, please click on the link

https://youtu.be/ozTSI0UKmH4