SHIRLEY RAE MILLER HIRE

Shirley Rae Miller Hire

February 18, 1952 – August 17, 2026

Shirley Rae Miller Hire, 74, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem, NC, following a long hospitalization. She was born on February 18, 1952, in Sparta, NC, to William Dain Miller and Mabel Miller. Shirley spent her adult life in Clemmons, where she worked for various businesses in the Winston-Salem area. She later served as office manager for Hire’s Automotive, the family business in Davidson County.

In addition to her parents, Shirley was preceded in death by her brother Harold Miller and sister Martha Miller Ferkel.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 40 years, James Monroe Hire; her sons, Brett Proffit, Craig Osborne, and Brandon Hire and his wife, Shannon; and her cherished grandson, Lucas Hire. She is also survived by her sisters, Betty Miller Stevens and her husband, Dennis, of Linthicum, MD; Rose Miller Anders of Independence, VA; Linda Miller Delp and her husband, Larry, of Sparta, NC; and her brother, Richard Miller of Sparta, NC. She leaves behind many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews, as well as special friends Mark and Dianne Klevinski, who were part of her extended family.

Shirley especially enjoyed quality time with her family, listening to Motown/ Beach Music, interior decorating, and being a devoted pet parent to several Dobermans, exotic birds and other animals. Thrift store shopping, a never-ending cup of hot, black coffee, and taking rides with Jim on their Harley made her the happiest.  Among her unique traits Shirley will be fondly remembered for her “no-nonsense” approach to not wasting time and getting a job done right. When Shirley hollered “Monroe!!” family and friends knew exactly who was wasting time.

When in 1981, Shirley met Jim, the mold was cast and their lives were never the same. Shirley had two sons, Brett and Craig, and Jim had a son Brandon. Once married, they became a tight knit family within the blended families. Shirley and Jim built their lives together in Lexington, starting their own business.

Her family would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of love, prayers and support. The family would like to thank Doctor Chen at Novant Health Cancer Center in Winston-Salem for his compassionate care and being her biggest cheerleader. They would like to thank the staff of Forsyth Medical Center Oncology Department, Acute Palliative Care Unit and the Intensive Care units for their excellent care of Shirley. A special shoutout to Deborah Jackson and Star Carteret for their wonderful care sitting with Shirley at night. A heartfelt thank you to the staff of Kate B. Reynolds Hospice for keeping Shirley comfortable in her final days. Last but not least, thanks to her sister, Rose Miller Anders of Independence, her sisters-in-law, Ann Carr of Morganton and Emily Cash of Richmond, for the enormous amount of time and continuous help in taking care of Shirley in her time of need.

Her family will receive family and friends on Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 1:00 until 2:00 PM at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Service, Winston-Salem, followed by a Memorial service in the Chapel at 2:00 PM.

Hayworth-Miller Funeral Service of Winston-Salem is serving the Hire family. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:
International Myeloma Foundation at https://myeloma.org/donate.
Trellis Supportive Care at https://trellissupport.org/donate.
Forsyth Humane Society at https://forsythhumane.org/donate-now/