Brian Leon Shirley was born May 6,1957 in Exeter, New Hampshire to Carol Jean Shirley and Carl Randolph Shirley. Brian was the oldest of four and moved frequently throughout his childhood living in NH, PA, CA, NY, and Ontario, Canada.  The family moved to Campinas, Brazil in 1971 where he graduated from Escola American de Campinas High School in 1975.

The Shirley family returned to the US after Brian's graduation and settled in Niagara Falls, NY. This is where Brian met the love of his whole life; Kate Eberle. They married in Kate's back yard in Buffalo NY on August 7th, 1982.

While Kate finished nursing school at Niagara University, Brian decided to become an Electrical Engineer. The couple moved to Atlanta in 1979 so Brian could attend Georgia Tech where he received his BSEE in 1985.  Brian earned his MSEE in 1993, while working full- time at GTRI where he started as an REI and retired after 32 years of service. With his mathematics skills, sharp mind, and dedication, Brian earned a reputation for being an extremely capable engineer, but he was arguably most proud of his role as mentor to many of GTRI's co-ops.

As accomplished as Brian was in engineering, his most cherished roles were that of husband, Father, and Papa. The last six years of his life were easily his happiest: being a full- time Papa to his four beautiful grandchildren.

Brian loved sports. He played football, soccer, basketball and was known for his 'hands at the net' in tennis. He was a passionate competitor and knew all the rules of all games. He never met a dog he didn't love, and he was an incredibly generous friend.

Brian is survived by his wife Kate Shirley of Marietta, Georgia, son Joe Shirley, and daughters Kristina Grimes (Brad) and Becca Christie (Jason) and four grandchildren Elijah Holton, Karlie and Kendall Grimes, and Andres Brian Christie.

Brian was predeceased by his sister Diane Lynn Shirley (Jamie Kuhn). He is survived by his sister Karen Jean Kleppe (Don) of Huntington, WV and his brother Bruce Shirley of Canton, GA. His ever- growing family includes fourteen Nieces and Nephews.

The family will visit with Mr. Shirley's coworkers on July 13, 2024 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm, and then will be open to receive friends and family from 3:00pm - 5:00pm on the same day. Please reach out to Rina Mann ( Nerinamann@gmail.com ) to RSVP.