- March 3, 2026
Shirley B. Tobin passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 89, after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Shirley was a resident of Palm Coast, Fla. She was born In Denver, Colorado on August 27, 1936.
After graduating from North High School in Denver, Shirley began a career that focused mostly on administrative services but included time as a travel agent and heavy involvement in local politics. She retired in 2019 from an administrative position at the Daytona International Airport.
Shirley and her first husband, Michael Brooks, raised three children, moving from Hamilton, New York, to Boston, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Urbana, Illinois, and Ames, Iowa, as Mike pursued his academic career. While in Illinois, she ran for public office twice.
Throughout these moves, Shirley exhibited her remarkable ability to make lifelong friends, gathering them as honeybees gather pollen. Friends’ memories of Shirley always bring smiles. Clearly, everyone who knew her cherished her deeply and loved her dearly.
She moved to Wild Dunes, near Charleston, S.C., in the mid-1990s where, in 1997, she met Toby Tobin. It was a match made in Heaven. Suddenly, both of their lives blossomed. They were married on April 15, 2000, and moved to Palm Coast, where they built a new home in Grand Haven.
Shirley was always active, be it golf, tennis, pickleball, politics, or entertaining. A party was not a party without Shirley. For years, her group of golfing friends, “Shirley’s Shooters,” could be found weekly on the Grand Haven Golf Course and in the clubhouse afterwards.
Shirley’s relationship with her sister, Sharon, was defined in their early years. Like twins, their bond could not be stronger. For years, they spoke on the phone cross-country daily (sometimes more than once), even when long-distance calls were not free.
To her children, Shirley was, quite simply, sunshine. She loved to laugh, and her laugh was bright and contagious. She also loved to tell jokes, though delivering a punchline cleanly was never her strength. Of course, that only made the jokes better.
Shirley was a deeply devoted and loving mother. She gave her children time, attention, and steady reassurance as they grew older. There were music lessons, swimming practices, and tennis matches. There were afternoons at the kitchen table painting balsa wood Christmas ornaments that still hang on trees today, dyeing Easter eggs, and getting lost together on hikes in the woods. She brought her children along when she went door-to-door for causes she believed in, explaining that responsibility to community mattered.
Shirley and Toby shared an “Ozzie and Harriet” marriage, enjoying over 25 years together without a single fight. Each was welcomed by the other’s family. They created countless wonderful memories, watching their grandchildren mature, golfing together, entertaining, visiting friends in Hawaii, cruising with Grand Haven friends (winning the onboard Twist Contest twice), and simply enjoying each other.
Shirley had no enemies, only friends. She will be remembered mostly as the person everyone wanted to know and be with. Her many circles of friends were as varied as a wild VEN diagram.
Family and Loved Ones
Shirley was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Alma Rhoad, her father, Sheridan Rhoad, and her cherished granddaughter, Faith Shaw. She leaves behind a devoted family who will forever treasure her memory. Shirley is survived by her husband, Toby Tobin, and her sister, Sharon Crowell, along with Sharon’s husband, Calvin. From her first marriage, she is survived by her children: David Brooks, Tim Brooks and his wife, Fiona, and Susan Shaw.
Her legacy continues through her grandchildren: Kelsey Biggers and her husband, Jarrett; Jennifer Wilson and her husband, James; Michael Brooks; Charlotte Butcher and her husband, Mathew; and Hannah Brooks. Shirley was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Kyla Biggers. She is fondly remembered by her nieces, Lori Coble and her husband, Jim, and Carrie MacNeil and her husband, Sean.
In addition to her immediate family, Shirley’s warmth and kindness extended to Toby’s family, where she is survived by three stepchildren, nine step-grandchildren, and four step-great-grandchildren. Her memory lives on in the hearts of her family, who will always remember her as a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend.
A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held at 4:30 on April 19th at the Palm Coast Elk’s club.
