Shirley Ann Ellington Adams, 91, of Durham, NC, passed away Monday, January 5, 2026 at Brookdale Assisted Living.

Born in Granville County, she was the daughter of the late Beetle Sherman Ellington and Nora Lee Roberts Ellington.

Surviving are one son, Robert Joseph Adams Jr. (Anne); two granddaughters, Sonya Williams (Zach) and Natalie Jones (Nick); and one grandson, Ben Adams; two sisters, Sarah Barbour, and Rebecca "Becky" Williamson; and two brothers, Larry "Butch" Ellington (Wanda), and Ronnie Ellington. Alongside her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Joseph Adams; two sisters, Julia Riddle and Betty Wilson; and three brothers, Charlie "Pete" Ellington, Kenneth Ellington, and Michael Ellington.

A funeral service will be held Monday, January 12, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Sossamon Funeral Home Chapel in Creedmoor conducted by Rev. Frank Sossamon. Interment will immediately follow the service at Carolina Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends an hour prior to the service from 10-10:45 a.m. at the funeral home.

Serving as pallbearers will be Nick Jones, Ben Adams, Jimmy Jacobs, Butch Ellington, Scott Strickland, Jack Williams, and Ronnie Ellington.

Arrangements are by Sossamon Funeral Home of Creedmoor. Online condolences may be made at www.sossamonfuneralhome.com.