Shirley Louise (Peyton) Mullennax

Shirley Louise Mullennax died surrounded by four generations of her family at Franklin Square Hospital at the age of 80 on May 3, 2019.

She is remembered as a truly caring and selfless person, who valued the bonds of family; cherished her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and always put the needs and feelings of others above her own.

Shirley Louise Peyton was born on June 23, 1938 in Baltimore, MD, the second of eight children to Arthur and Josephine Peyton.

Shirley married Irwin Leon Mullennax in Baltimore, MD on May 29, 1957, and they were by each other’s side through everything that life offered for 62 years. They lived together in their home in Dundalk since 1958. Shirley dedicated herself to Leon and to raising their daughters—Linda, Mary, Diane, and Nancy. After raising her children, Shirley continued to devote her life to the care of others, working as a home health aide. She loved cooking, camping, and watching Little House on the Prairie.

Above all, she treasured her time with family. She played an integral role in the lives of her four daughters, their children, and their children’s children, as well as her many nieces and nephews. She took pride in their accomplishments and enjoyed nothing more than watching them grow and develop as individuals, with their own interests and passions. Her first grandchild named her “Mommom,” and she has been known to all as Mommom ever since.

She was preceded in death by her three sisters Flora, Alice, and Betty, her brother Arthur; her brother-in-law Duane and his wife Juanita, and her sister-in-law Frances.

Mommom is survived by her husband of 62 years; her brother Albert, her sister Nancy, her brother John and his wife Janie; her sister-in-law Ilawyn and her husband Vicent, her brother-in- law Regene; her daughter Linda, her daughter Mary and her husband Vince Pearman, her daughter Diane and her husband Gary Berkey, her daughter Nancy and her husband Randy Mohr; her 10 grandchildren—Kristina and her husband Micah Maxwell, Steven, Amanda and her husband David McGhee, Sarah and her husband Cody Manley, Alyssa and her husband Jack Spore, Kayla and her partner Zack Felmeister, Andrew, Ashley, Evan and Madison; her 11 great- grandchildren—Bella, Brayden, Jeremiah, Joel, Sebastian, Joshua, Phoenix, Sophia, Griffin, Caroline, and Lucca; her many nieces and nephews; and her dear friends Robert and Carolyn Magee.

Viewings will be held at Bruzdzinski Funeral Home P.A. at 1407 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD (at route 702, beltway exit 36) on Tuesday May 7 from 3-5 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral services will be conducted in the same location by Pastor Mick Weltin (of Inverness Presbyterian Church) on Wednesday May 8 at 11 am, with interment to follow at Oak Lawn Cemetery at 7225 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in memory of Shirley Louise “Mommom” Mullennax to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, https://www.sjogrens.org/main-payment-page/in-memoriam-donation

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