Shirley Ann Eldredge Rood

Our sweet mom, grandma, and great-grandma, Shirley Ann (Eldredge) Rood, passed away on March 21, 2024 at the age of 80. Shirley was born to Anna (Sorensen) Eldredge and Harold Eldredge on November 10, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shirley was born into a large loving family; she was the 4th child out of 11. Her parents taught her to work hard, be loving and kind, and to love Jesus Christ and God. They also taught her to be a survivor. Shirley suffered from 2 diseases in her childhood, one that nearly took her life. When she was around 8 years old, she received the diagnosis of nephritis. This disease hits the kidneys and causes swelling. She would talk about how she was so swollen that she couldn’t button her dresses or put her shoes on, and she had a hard time walking. Shirley’s parents took her to doctors and specialists, and they couldn’t help her; they were eventually told to take her home and make her comfortable. A man in their church was a chiropractor, and he went to her parents and said he believed he could help her. Since there was nothing to lose from letting him try, they said ok. After giving her a blessing, the chiropractor did some manipulations on her back and had her drink grape juice. Miraculously, Shirley recovered from nephritis and went on to live a normal life, with one more bump in the road. As a teenager, she was diagnosed with polio. Luckily, it was not a severe case, and she was able to recover with the help of the vaccine.

Shirley met the love of her life, Marc Rood, when she was 17 years old, and a senior in high school. He was a marine and they were set up on a date by her friend that was dating Marc’s friend. Marc gave Shirley a sob story about not getting any letters and told her she would never write to him. Shirley accepted his challenge, and they began their love story writing letters back and forth in creative ways, such as on toilet paper. They were married on July 20, 1962, by her father, Bishop Harold Eldredge. Shirley loved to say that Marc made her “Rood,” but she made him a “son of a bishop!” Marc and Shirley went on to have 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

Shirley loved her family, and she was a wonderful wife, mother, grandma, and great-grandma. She was a soft place to land for her children, and she loved them all unconditionally. She was the most selfless person you would ever meet. She worked hard to help provide for her family, often working more than one job at a time. She did in-home day care for many years, and 2 of the kids she took care of are still part of our lives today (Abbey and Samantha). Shirley retired from the Public Works department at Salt Lake County, after working there for decades. She was such a hard worker that it took more than one person to replace her after she left.

Shirley was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she loved her church. She worked in the temple until it was closed due to Covid. Marc was not an active member of the Church, but Shirley was devoted, so she took all of her children to church each week. She showed them what her religion and the Lord meant to her and gave them all a good foundation for life.

After Marc passed away in 2016, Shirley was able to make her lifetime dream a reality and was sealed for all time and eternity to her sweetheart and children on Marc and Shirley’s 55^th anniversary, July 20th, 2017, in the Draper Temple.

Shirley was a bit lost after Marc’s death. She had taken care of him for so long that life without him was difficult to navigate. She was diagnosed with dementia in 2019, and by 2022, it had progressed to Alzheimer’s. In 2022, the decision was made to move her to Memory Care. She moved into the Abbington in Murray, and they took wonderful care of her until she passed away. The nurses and the CNAs all loved her because she was so sweet and gentle. The family would like to offer heartfelt gratitude for all the love and care provided during her stay. She loved to have people visit her, even though she’d forget they came only minutes after leaving. Her children and grandchildren visited her regularly and she would always say how they made her day. The family is so grateful that she never forgot who they were. 

She will be missed greatly. Members of the family take comfort in knowing that she is no longer suffering, and that they will meet again through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents: Harold and Anna; her in-laws: Cora and Marc; her sisters: Carolyn Murphy and Ione Bush; her brother/sisters-in-law: Corrie Urriola, Nila Eldredge and Dennis Bush; her son-in-law: Andrew Anthony. She is survived by her children: Marcus Rood (Jolynn), Matthew Rood, Michelle Anthony, Angela Daley (Michael), and Amy Rood; her grandchildren: Nicholas (Natasha), Emily-Lynn (Dan), Jeanne, Edward, Alex, James, Marcus, Benjamin, Julianna, Jacob, Elizabeth, and Tommy; her great-grandchildren: Linkin and Kaylani; her siblings: John Eldredge, Larry Eldredge (Brenda), Brian Eldredge (Mary), Chris Eldredge (Cathy), Gloria Lavender (George), Dan Eldredge (Christine), Mike Murphy, Vance Eldredge (LuJean), Reggie Parr (Debbie); her sister-in-law: Rose Griffin; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 30th at 11:30 am, at the Greenfield Chapel, 6634 Greenfield Way, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121. A viewing will be held Friday evening from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, and again Saturday morning from 10:30 am – 11:15 am at the church. Interment will follow the services at the Memorial Mountain View Cemetery.

Livestream funeral: 

https://youtube.com/live/xyJBkwXOiX4?feature=share.