By Staff
Mrs. Shirleen Jones Coward Mitchell Gurkin, age 58, a resident of 437 Long Ridge Road, Pinetown, NC and a former resident of Craven County died Thursday May 24, 2007 at her home.
A funeral will be held 4:00 PM Sunday May 27, 2007 at Shiloh Free Will Baptist Church officiated by Rev. Bill Mobley. Burial will follow in the Boyd Family Cemetery in Pinetown. Jack Kilpatrick, John Kilpatrick, Slade Heath, Sim Jones, Jeremy Mills, Kenneth Poorman and Ricky Poorman will serve as pallbearers.
Mrs. Gurkin was born in Craven County on July 7, 1948 daughter of the late Sim Jones and the late Josephine Elizabeth Lancaster Jones. She graduated from Farmlife High School and continued her education at Craven Community College. She was a homemaker and had worked as a school bus driver and lunchroom worker at Fort Barnwell Elementary School. Mrs. Gurkin later operated the Burger Barn in Fort Barnwell, the Road Side Cafe in Vanceboro, Haddocks Grocery &Grill in Clayroot and the Carolina Country Kitchen in Washington. She married Hilton Gurkin on May 5, 2001 who survives. Mrs. Gurkin was a member of Fort Barnwell Church of God and attended Shiloh Free Will Baptist Church.
Surviving along with her husband Hilton of the home are two daughters: Evelyn Coward Durham of Trenton and Brenda Coward Willis of Washington; a son Russell Edward Coward of Pinetown; four sisters: Addie Powell of New Bern, Catherine Heath of Jacksonville, NC, Pat Carraway of Grifton and Beatrice Riggs of New Bern; two brothers: Melvin “Mutt” Jones of Fort Barnwell and Ervin H. Jones of Hunting, WV; a mother in law: Marie L. Gurkin of Pinetown; and six grandchildren. Mrs. Gurkin was preceded in death by two brothers: James Vernon Jones and Thomas Slade Jones and a sister: Mary Anne Gurkin.
The family received friends from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Saturday May 26, 2007 at Paul Funeral Home of Washington and at other times at the home.
Flowers are welcome and appreciated or memorial contributions may be made to Shiloh Free Will Baptist Church C/O Brent White, 1509 Biggs Road, Pinetown, NC 27865.
Condolences may be directed to the Gurkin family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com.
Paul Funeral Home of Washington is serving the Gurkin family.
Paid Obituary