Shirley Silverman Rich

FUNERAL: A funeral service will be held at 9:30 AM on Friday, January 23, 2026, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue: 600 Peachtree Battle Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30327; followed by a burial at Arlington Memorial Park: 201 Mount Vernon Hwy, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. 

LIVESTREAM: Please click here to attend the funeral service via livestream.

SHIVA: The family will receive visitors immediately following the Friday interment until 2:00 PM at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.  On Monday and Tuesday, shiva will be observed at Shirley's home from 4:30 to 8:00 PM, with prayer services at 7:00 PM.

OBITUARY:

Shirley Rich, the OG Bubbie, passed away peacefully in her beloved home of over 65 years after a final day there with her children on January 21st. 

Shirley was born to Gus and Zalla Silverman on June 29, 1932, in Jackson, TN.  Her family soon moved to Atlanta where, as an only child, she became the darling of both her parents, as well as the staff and customers in father's grocery store as she sat perched on the top of boxes like a little princess.  She attended Atlanta city schools through her school years, where she developed lifelong friendships that became an incredibly meaningful part of her long life.  She matriculated for a semester at University of Alabama, then returned home for a "better deal" when she married Arnold Rich on January 2, 1952.  Her life was fiercely about her family for the rest of her days, rearing four children, enjoying eight grandchildren, and feeling the blessings of eight great-grandchildren.  When her children were young, she enjoyed every aspect of their lives and activities, and, for some reason, she particularly enjoyed working the concession stands at Bagley Park Little League games.  There were not many activities that she missed, a juggling act since there were four kids.  In the days her children were teens, her home was always a busy place, and was often filled with teenagers in the house and out on the street corner.  Shirley and Arnold had a way of making all feel welcomed and comfortable. She built that home in 1961, and again in 1972 after much of it was destroyed in a fire.  She loved that home, and felt grateful and lucky to live 65 years there.  In those years, in addition to her family, she continued her lifelong friendships as well as her connections to the Jewish community.  She loved her community at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, where she faithfully attended, both in person and on zoom, for many years.   She took special joy in coordinating the AA's shelter dinner program.  She so enjoyed her friends, from those she knew as a child, to those she met later in her life.  When she became a grandmother, she embraced and became the "poster child" for the role and name Bubbie., including snagging the coveted BUB E license plate in the early days of personalized license plates.  Every Monday was special for her grandsons, who could count on spending afternoons and dinners with their Bubbie.  Every Rosh Hashanah, we sat in her dining room as a family, first at one table, then two, then two more, until the tables went into the entry hall.  Her life was about family and friends, and her relationships ran deep. She will be missed by all.

Shirley is survived by her three children and their spouses, her daughter-in-law and her husband, eight grandchildren and their partners, and eight great-grandchildren.  

And it was especially important to Shirley, as it is to her family, that she and we acknowledge and express her forever gratitude and love to her loving and gentle caretakers Florence, Andrine and Ann.  These women were a true blessing to Shirley and her family.