Obituary of Shirley Louise Adams

Shirley Louise Adams,73, of State College, PA, passed away on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at Geisinger Medical Center, surrounded by loved ones.

Born June 11, 1949, in Bellefonte, PA, she was the daughter of the late William and Christina (Barto) Adams.

She is survived by her life partner, James McGovern, of Pleasant Gap, PA; daughter, Jennifer Albanese and her husband, Andrew, of Blairstown, NJ; three grandsons: Joshua Albanese and his wife Abigail and great-granddaughter, Lilly Mae Albanese of Wind Gap, PA; Adam Albanese of San Jose, California, and Daniel Albanese of Blairstown, NJ; her siblings: Nancy Harpster and her husband Tom of Pennsylvania Furnace, PA; William Adams, Jr. and his wife Lee Ann of Altoona, PA and Janet Adams and her husband Michael Pollakowski of Odessa, MO. Shirley was preceded in death by her brother, George E. Adams who passed away January 8, 2008.

Shirley was a source of strength and unwavering support for her family, always willing to lend a helping hand and an open door. She graduated from State College Area High School and went on to work at Close Up Foundation in Washington DC. After briefly living in Australia, she returned to her beloved State College where she worked at Penn State University in the Office of Student Aid until she retired in June 2002.

Shirley met her lifelong partner, Jim McGovern during the blizzard of 1993. She and Jim enjoyed late summer visits to the beach with Jim's family as well as watching Penn State football and the Philadelphia Phillies. She looked forward to Adams family gatherings and Barto family reunions. Spending time with her grandsons and recently her great granddaughter gave her great joy. Her passion was writing a novel called "The Diary of a Disease" which chronicled her journey with Multiple Sclerosis from the age of 29. She also had several articles published in a local community magazine. Shirley enjoyed volunteering in the community working with a literacy program, helping stroke victims regain their speech and serving at a local clothes closet.

Visitation will be from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, Friday, June 2, 2023, at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College, PA.

Saturday, June 3rd, there will be a visitation from 10:00 – 10:45am at Ross Church, 2078 Marengo Rd, Warriors Mark.

Funeral service will start at 11:00am in the church with a graveside service to follow. The Pastor Sam Reese will officiate. Reception will follow at the Warriors Mark Fire Hall, Warriors Mark, PA.

Memorial contributions may be made to Centre Life Link EMS, Patton Township who was very helpful to Shirley over the years.

Online condolences may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.