Shirley Sink

Shirley Sink, 84, of Vandalia, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. She was born on November 18, 1941, in Jacksboro, TN, to the late Elmer Willis and Ollie Mae (Ward) Spicer. The family moved to Harrison Township from Tennessee when Shirley’s father worked as a plumber/pipefitter at McCall’s. She attended Northridge schools but did not graduate. Instead, she married her first husband and gave birth to her oldest son one month before she turned sixteen. She obtained her GED while her second husband and father of her two younger sons were in Army flight school. She assumed the role of officer’s wife with pride, to both her second and third husbands. Together with her third husband, she owned and managed a marina and bookstore in Ft. Myers, FL, until they decided to move to Jacksboro, TN, where Shirley’s parents returned to live out their golden years. There, Shirley became a newspaper woman, taking the helm of the Campbell County News, rubbing elbows with state level politicians, and taking down some corrupt county officials. When her third husband began work with the FAA in Knoxville, she traveled between Jacksboro and Knoxville to allow her younger sons to finish high school in Campbell County. She managed the local Pizza Hut then and became enchanted with the Pizza Hut Supreme Pan Pizza. Shirley and husband number three moved to Vandalia when he transferred with the FAA to the Dayton International Airport. As a military wife, she had moved many times in her life and refused to move to another place where she had no family. In Vandalia she was near all of her siblings who lived in the Greater Dayton Area. Once established in Ohio, she worked for a short time as an activity’s coordinator for a local nursing home. After enduring her middle son’s overseas tour in the Army and her youngest son’s deployment to Operation Desert Storm in the nineties, she graduated from Sinclair College with an associate’s degree in mental health technology. During and after her time at Sinclair, Shirley interned at Bridges and the George Foster Home and worked as a substitute paraprofessional for Dayton Public Schools. Her last stop on her career journey was as a patient care assistant at Montgomery County’s Stillwater Center, a skilled nursing facility for the disabled. She worked third shift at Stillwater and still provided childcare for her youngest granddaughter three days per week. She retired from Stillwater in 2007 and continued to provide childcare until her granddaughter went to preschool. Shirley enjoyed time with her granddaughter immensely and was remarkably proud of her. She also enjoyed crafting, cooking, sewing, gardening, and working in her yard. Her beautiful yardwork won several awards from the city of Vandalia, for which she was extremely proud. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters: Lois and Aline; and two brothers: Arnold and Danny. She is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law: David & Debbie Sink of IN, Eric Sink of Clayton, OH, and Sean & Jill (Herman) Sink of Clayton, OH; a sister: Judy Arnett and a brother, Mark Spicer; a three granddaughters: Leah Sink, Deena Sink and Jodi Sizemore; a very special friend of many years: Tony Snyder; a dear friend: Faye Orick; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. No public services are planned. The family will gather privately to remember Shirley. Adkins Funeral Home of Enon is assisting Shirley’s family with her final wishes. www.adkinsfunerals.com

Shirley Sink

November 18, 1941 - January 13, 2026