Mrs. Shirley Mae Davis Henry

Mrs. Shirley Mae Davis Henry, age 80, of Raleigh, departed this life on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at Transitions LifeCare of Wake County. 

Funeral 12 Noon, Friday, May 29, 2026 at St. Matthew Baptist Church, 5410 Louisburg  Rd., Raleigh. Visitation,11 AM to 12 Noon, prior to the service. Interment, Ford Chapel AME Church Cemetery, Monticello, FL. 

Mrs. Shirley Mae Davis Henry, 80, was born on December 28, 1945 in Halifax County, NC, to the late Claude and Ruby Jones Davis.  She was preceded by her only sister, Mary Davis Cotten (deceased) and the first of her five brothers; Claude (deceased).  She was followed by James, Fred, Melvin and Marvin (deceased). She spent her childhood working and enjoying the outdoors, keeping up with the boys and satisfying her curiosity of all things. 

“Lil Moot,” as she was known, would go on to graduate from Brawley High School before heading to New York, where she would plant roots and follow a lifelong love of beauty.  Establishing her place in the garment district of New York City, it was evident that her talents for creating beauty extending far beyond fabrics.  

It was in New York that she would meet and marry Rufus Henry, a Florida transplant to New York, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. This union would bear two children; daughter, Vicky René and after leaving the city for the suburbs, son Jawara Asinia, would follow. They would support each other through the formation of a successful transportation company, that would be named ShirRue. 

Together they joined First Baptist Church and led both, an active life in ministry as well as a social life that contained great family and friends, outings, trips and parties.  The years would bring Shirley’s love of all things beautiful to the forefront.  An avid collector, her love of beautiful things led her on journeys far and wide; fashion, art, interior design, gardens and landscaping  She saw beauty everywhere and lived to be surrounded by it. 

There were no rules, only how something lovely made her feel. Beauty to her came in every form and was never too small to be seen.  The smallest detail, the most subtle shade of color, a button or pin, tassel or trim, feathers and beads, and it all worked together to create even greater Beauty.  Anyone who ever graced her home knew of the grand florals, the statues with jewelry, art hanging in the most unique locations. And of course, there was always a touch of animal print for good measure. 

She spent a great deal of time studying all periods of art, countries, styles, designers and cultures. It did not stop there, her collections were voluminous and spanned a litany of categories. Despite the myriad of admired mediums her favorite would have been Jewels.  The beauty of jewels mesmerized her and in addition to collecting jewels from around the world she commissioned many custom pieces as well. Her love of the Cameo and pieces made with turquoise are well known.  

Upon retiring, she and Rufus made their way back to her home state of North  Carolina, settling in Raleigh where they joined St. Matthews Baptist Church. Shirley was a member of the Inspirational Choir and served with fervor on the Touch of Love Ministry.   This ministry provided her such great joy and allowed her to remain active during her retirement. She and Rufus continued to travel and share adventures while she continued to amass beautiful finds that brought her and those around her great joy. She lived to create legacy and inspire curiosity. She vowed to provide the impetus for her loved ones to pursue their hearts desires and never stop uncovering the treasures things that bring their hearts. 

Mourning her unexpected departure from this world to her reward are; her husband of fifty nine years, Rufus; brothers James (Bobbie Jean) Davis of Scotland. Neck, Fred (Faye) Davis of Rocky Mount, and Melvin (Patricia) Davis of West Haverstraw, NY; sister-in-Law, Gloria Wadell of Monticello, FL; aunts, Shirley Worsley of Washington, DC and Esther Grissom of Atlanta, GA; daughter Vicky Johnson of Miami, FL; sons Jawara (Leann) Henry of Cary, and Mark Smalls of Hanford, CA; grandchildren, Justin Henry, Kimani Smith, Tariq J. Henry, Jarrell J. Henry, Edwardo Woodson and Jayar A. Henry; nieces Brenda Jordan, Pamela Cotten, LaTasha Byrd, Amy Davis, April Davis, Natasha Davis, Yve Davis, and Claudia Davis; nephews, Gerald Cotten, Kenneth Davis, Byron Davis, Brandon Davis, and Fred Davis, Jr.; along with a myriad of cousins, other relatives and friends.