Shirley Mae (Tedford) Rankin

Westbrook-Shirley Mae (Tedford) Rankin, loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great, great grandmother, passed away peacefully at home with family by her side on May 26, 2023. Shirley was born on November 1, 1931, in Westbrook, to Milo and Clara (Rockwell) Tedford, the third of seven children. A life-long resident of Westbrook, she graduated from Westbrook High School in 1950. She married Perry W. Rankin. They shared 45 years together raising six children on the “family farm” on Methodist Road. Shirley was a hard-working woman who, at the age of thirteen, went to work to help her widowed mother and younger siblings. For many years she worked as a CNA at Portland City Hospital (Barron Center) and later operated a boarding home for elderly women at the Grace Full Gospel Church parsonage. As a Pastor’s wife, she worked alongside her husband striving to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, supporting mission outreach programs here and abroad. She enjoyed life’s simple pleasures. She loved gardening, camping, traveling, and bird watching. She enjoyed the shade of her chestnut tree where in the summer she could be found shelling peas and snapping beans and gathering with family and friends for cookouts and conversations,. She also spent many summers haying the fields of the family farm driving the Farmall A tractor, joined by her children and their neighborhood friends. She was a devoted wife and mother as well as a surrogate mother to many. She cared deeply for her family and cherished her time with each of them. She was a small but mighty woman who possessed a sweet demeanor and winsome smile. Her signature gift of hospitality was shared with all who crossed her doorstep. She will long be remembered for her strong faith in God, her love of family, her home-cooked meals, gardening, canning skills, and for being a loving caretaker to many. During the last eighteen years of her life, she enjoyed the company of her companion, Francis Brown, enjoying summers at camp and traveling to places near and far. She is survived by her children Sheila (Phil); Daniel (Sherri); Sharon (Rebecca); Stephen (Pam); and Timothy (Cissy); 12 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great grandchildren; her sister Rachel, brother Marshall; her companion, Francis Brown and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents; husband, Rev. Perry Rankin; son Thomas; grandson Willie; sisters Mary and Rebecca; brothers Lloyd and Frederick. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:30 on Friday, June 2nd at Emmanuel Assembly of God, 1571 Washington Ave. Portland Maine. Visiting hours will be at the church from 10:30 – 11:30. A reception will follow the service. Interment will be private at the Rankin Family Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Emmanuel Assembly of God Westbrook Family Feeding Families, 28 Stroudwater St. Westbrook 04092 Windham Hill United Church of Christ, 140 Windham Center Road Windham 04062

Shirley Mae (Tedford) Rankin

November 1, 1931 - May 26, 2023

Explore Tributes &
Upcoming Services