Funeral home issues heartbreaking plea after 'kind' woman, 99, dies with no family or friends

A funeral home is desperately looking for a 'kind' 99-year-old woman's family and friends to celebrate her life after she passed away. 

Katherine Shirley, 99, sadly died in May in Kansas City without any friends and family around to celebrate her long life and give her a proper goodbye. 

For 30 years, Shirley lived at Life Care Center of Grandview, a nursing home.

Without any next of kin, friends, or family, Shirley became a ward of the state at the time of her death and was set to be cremated. 

But when the funeral home realized that Shirley had already paid for her own burial years before, they decided to honor her wishes - and made a desperate plea for anyone to come and mourn the woman at her funeral. 

Katherine Shirley, 99, passed away in May in Kansas City without any friends and family around to celebrate her long life

The funeral home discovered she had set up her end-of-life celebration before she died

'We couldn’t find anyone that knew her, no next of kin, no one, so we really want to honor what she wants to do and her legacy,' Aesha Humphrey, who works at the funeral home, told Fox 4 Kansas City. 

That's when Marcom-Harvey Funeral Care stepped in and agreed to honor Shirley's wishes. 

'We have been given the opportunity to honor Ms. Shirley's pre-need wishes that she carefully selected years ago,' the funeral home wrote on Facebook. 

The funeral home will accommodate getting the casket and flowers Shirley pre-selected. 

Despite honoring her wishes to be buried, the funeral home still faces one major obstacle - finding Shirley's family and friends to celebrate her. 

They've even invited the community to come to the ceremony as well. 

That's when Marcom-Harvey Funeral Care (pictured) stepped in and agreed to honor Shirley's wishes. 'We have been given the opportunity to honor Ms. Shirley's pre-need wishes that she carefully selected years ago,' the funeral home said 

Life Care Center of Grandview remembers Shirley as a kind, woman of God, who took care of herself. Workers and residents there considered her family

'We are hopeful in our search for any friends or family who may have known Ms. Shirley to attend her homegoing celebration and also invite the community to come and support Ms. Shirley, as we believe that everyone deserves a proper homegoing,' it wrote. 

The end-of-life business doesn't have much information on Shirley, but they believe she may have had a son and knew she worked as a secretary. 

Life Care Center of Grandview remembers Shirley as a kind, woman of God, who took care of herself. Workers and residents there considered her family, according to Fox 4 Kansas City.