Shirley R. Higley Rush

Shirley R. Higley Rush, born September 27th, 1939, died at the age of 80 on Saturday, June 13th, 2020. Las Vegas was Shirley’s home for nearly 60 years, 28 of which she worked in the Clark County School District as a Teacher’s Aide at Helen J. Stewart School for Special Education. She was preceded in death by her beloved mother Della Crawford-Higley of Springdale, UT, and husband Ronald J. Rush, with whom she was married for 50 years and co-owned a local real-estate appraising company. She is survived by her two children, Darlene Hutchinson and Edward Rush, and more than 25 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Shirley will always be remembered for her creativity, which she expressed freely through ceramics, porcelain-doll making, embroidery, needlepoint, crocheting and more. She had a fierce will when it was needed and a soft embrace to comfort those she loved. She told the truth whether or not it was wanted, but always softened it with her wit and self-deprecating humor. Shirley Rush was the best of us left and, without her, our standards for excellence will again be forced to fall.

As a devout member of the LDS religion, Shirley is now happily spending eternity with her loved ones and our Heavenly Father. Family members will be holding small private ceremonies on June 27, 2020. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that anyone interested please plant a tree of their choosing in a location of their choosing, in honor of Shirley.