Miranda (Shortell) Kirby

Miranda (Shortell) Kirby

Miranda Kirby, 38, of Havre, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes.

A visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Friday, March 1, 2013, at Holland & Bonine Funeral Home. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2013, at 5th Avenue Christian Church, with Pastor Brian Barrows officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. The family has requested that memorials be made to the Fund for the Support of Miranda's Children in care of Independence Bank, PO Box 2090, Havre, MT 59501, to help defray the costs of James' and Jayda's college costs. Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements.

Miranda was born on Dec. 6, 1974, in Havre on her great-grandfather's birthday to Kevin and Candace (Cameron) Shortell. She was raised in Havre, attending St. Jude school and Havre Middle School, graduating from Havre High School. In high school, she was a varsity cheerleader and an honor student. Miranda married Stuart MacKay in 1996, and their union was blessed with their son James. They lived in Missoula for a short time, returned to Havre, and then moved to Seattle, Wash., for a couple of years before returning to Havre once more, this time permanently. While in Seattle, Miranda attended the Seattle Art Institute. Miranda and Stuart later divorced but remained friends. Miranda married Josh Kirby in 2004, and their daughter Jayda blessed their union. A couple years later, Josh adopted Miranda's son James.

Their divorce was recent, but Miranda remained friends with Josh, as well.

Mir, as her cousins called her, worked at Hill County Electric/Triangle Telephone for 14 years as a customer service representative. Her co-workers remember her as having a great sense of humor and as being very encouraging to those who needed it. Miranda enjoyed camping, going to the family cabin at Beaver Creek, oil painting, knitting, and crocheting. She was a great cook, and loved to cook gourmet dishes. She liked listening to a rather eclectic mix of music, but most of all, she loved her family, especially her children and her brother.

Miranda was active, always on the go. She was very outgoing, kind and generous and was always volunteering to help with some benefit or another. She possessed a very giving nature, and her family treasures the "tie blankets" she made them for Christmas one year.

Miranda was preceded in death by her two grandfathers, Oliver Shortell and Eldon Cameron.

She is survived by her children, James and Jayda Kirby of Havre; her parents, Kevin and Candace Shortell of Havre; her brother, Cameron Shortell (Kelly Manning) of Bozeman; her grandmothers, Ellen "Dee Dee" Stubban and Joyce Shortell, both of Havre; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.