Shirley Faye (Salser) Tipton

“Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” Mary Oliver

Shirley Faye (Salser) Tipton, 87, of Syracuse, Ohio, passed away on September 1, 2026 leaving behind a family who loved her deeply, and the world a little quieter without her sharp wit and curious mind.

Born on Christmas Eve, 1939, in Racine, Ohio, Shirley was a gift to her parents, Anthony and Eva (Young) Salser, from the very start and she never stopped being one. Within her large family and her experiences growing up on their farm on Rout 124 in Racine, the bonds forged in that household shaped the woman she became: resilient, warm, and fiercely devoted to family.

Shirley graduated from Racine High School in 1957 but had a mind that never stopped working. She was an avid reader who could lose herself in a good book, and she met each day's New York Times crossword puzzle like good debate with an old friend, and usually won. Her intellectual curiosity was lifelong and genuine; she asked good questions, listened carefully, and had a way of making conversation feel like discovery. Those who knew her well knew to expect a quick, perfectly timed remark that could make a room laugh before anyone saw it coming. She loved birds, watching them, listening to them, and found in them the same thing she found in books and puzzles: a reason to pay close attention to the world around her.

Above all, Shirley loved her family. She is survived by her son, Vaughn CroweTipton (Beverly) of Greenville, South Carolina, and her brother, Charles Malcolm Salser of Pomeroy; her grandchildren, Jared CroweTipton (Marybeth), Abby CroweTipton; and great-grandson, Noah (Jared and Marybeth), who will carry forward a piece of her, whether he knows it yet or not.

She is also survived by a wide circle of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews, many of whom shared a particularly close bond with her, including Tammy (John) Nelson and their sons John and Heath (Lindsay) of Middleport, OH, Brian Harden of Letart, WV, Teresa (Mark) Jarrell of Reedsville, OH, and her daughters Holley Howard, Hannah (Jess) Roush, and Hailey (Jonathan) Gaus. Shirley also loved and cherished the time she spent with great(x2) nieces Shelby, Taylar, Casey, and Scarlett, and great(x2) nephews Woodson and Colton. Additionally, her cherished caregiver for over a decade, Morgan Boling, became family to her. She was preceded in death by her siblings James Woods, Bill Woods, Henry Salser, Nial Salser, Ilene Hayes, Robert Salser, Ray Salser, Virginia Counts, and Dorothy Harden.

Services will be held at the Anderson McDaniel Funeral Home in Pomeroy on September 12 with visitation at 10 am and funeral at 11. Burial will follow at Letart Falls Cemetery.

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