Shirley Douty Rion

Augusta, GA – Shirley Douty Rion, 90, died on November 11, 2025, following a significant stroke.

She was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, a daughter of Reuben Franklin Douty and Mary Coffey Douty (both of whom are deceased).

Shirley was a member of Fleming Baptist Church in Augusta. Throughout her life, she found great strength from her faith, great joy in local church activities, and was blessed in ability to provide support to people and causes which spread God’s great love and grace around the world.

As a young teen, Shirley went to the big city of Washington, DC to represent her part of Virginia in the National Spelling Bee.

She was a proud graduate of Berea (KY) College, with a B.S. in Business Administration / Secretarial. After college, she lived in Richmond, VA, where she met and married her first husband, Charles Carpenter. The Carpenters moved with Mr. Carpenter’s career in DuPont’s Construction Division to Hendersonville, NC, Bassett, VA, Chattanooga, TN, and Parkersburg, WV. The couple had two daughters, Paula Carpenter Reardon (Tim), and Mary Stafford Carpenter, both currently of Augusta.

Shirley was employed as a secretary in each of the towns in which she lived. She was retired from DuPont’s Washington Works in Parkersburg, WV. Through her work at DuPont, she met her second husband, William C. Rion, Jr of Goodlettsville, TN. They were married in 1984, and until Bill’s death in 1999.

Following Bill’s death, Shirley moved from Parkersburg to Martinsburg, WV, then to Clinton, IN/Paris, IL to be near her daughters and grandchildren. And, finally, to Augusta.

As an adult, she played a mean game of Scrabble and could work a Jumble in a split second.

Surviving family members include her daughters: Paula Reardon (Tim) and Mary Carpenter; grandchildren: Meghann Reardon, Sean Reardon (Morgan), and Allison Reardon; great-grandchildren: Eloise Jo Reardon and Caroline June Reardon; stepchildren: Sharon Rion Lorenz (Keith), Eric Rion (Teresa), and Philip Rion (Faye); and brother: Horace Douty (Ellen).

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband: William “Bill” Rion; her brothers: Stafford Douty and Max Douty; and her sister: Gwendolyn Hope Douty Hepp.

The funeral service will be held Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Fleming Baptist Church, 3027 Peach Orchard Rd, Augusta, GA 30906 with Rev. John Bryan officiating. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall following the service for an ice cream social.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bible Broadcasting Network at https://bbn1.bbnradio.org/english/donate/, Samaritan’s Purse at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/, or to the church of your choice.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com