Inside Starkville Cafe, at a small wooden table, a group of men sit and eat the “Baby Duck” lunch special on their break from their jobs. The conversations ranged from work troubles to weekend plans.
It is opening weekend for Mississippi State University baseball, and it seems as though each man plans to attend at least one game.
“How’s everything tasting? You all need anything else?” said Mrs. Shirley, a storied Starkville Cafe employee.
She is dressed in printed floral leggings in an array of pink, yellow, blue, orange and white hues and an orange athletic tee, as she mans the front of the restaurant, seats guests, takes phone calls and occasionally taps the register, all with a smile on her face.
“Real good, Shirley,” one of the men seated at the table said to her. “A little salty, but it’s good.”
If you have ever been to Starkville Cafe, you most likely know Shirley Ross, better known as Mrs. Shirley, and chances are, she knows you as well.
Starkville Cafe has been a local commodity since most people can remember, and Ross has been a crucial part of the restaurant for almost 23 years.
Ross, a Maben, Mississippi, native, grew up in a single-parent household with three siblings by her side. She became a mother at 17, while continuing to attend school each day until graduating from East Webster High School in 1991. Just two years later, Ross gave birth to her second child and decided it was time to grow up.
Setting out on her own with two small children, Ross found her place and first job in Eupora. Then, she moved to West Point for two years before returning back to Maben.
While relocating back to Maben was not ideal at first, tables began to turn after Ross married her husband, Rick Powell, in April 2000. The two live together and support four grandchildren, ranging in age from two to 13.
Along with her waitressing job at Starkville Cafe, Ross is a full-time grandmother, student at Millsaps College and caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with severe dementia.
It never seemed to bother Ross how frequently she cared for others. Instead, she said she feels it is what she is meant to do.
“I always was a big sister, you know, making sure everything was done for my mom to help her out. That taught me as a child how to manage my life with my children and grandkids now. I was already prepared and knew what to do and how to be responsible,” Ross said.
About a year ago, Ross and her family experienced a house fire that depleted just about everything they had. The family had just paid off their home and finished renovations before the fire occurred, which forced them to completely start from scratch.
Many people would be completely broken after a hardship such as this, but not Mrs. Shirley. She never let it dim her light and still found the silver lining.
“We’ve lost a lot of things that we had over the years,” Ross said. “But, you know, I thank God we still have our lives.”
The Starkville community raised nearly $10,000 in support of the Ross family and helped them get back on their feet. Mrs. Shirley has a unique outlook on life and is thankful the community she has served for 23 years supported her with such prominence. 
“No matter if I’m having a bad day, I leave it at the back door. You still got to treat people right no matter what’s going on and be a light to someone else,” Ross said. “When I lost my house, it made me feel so good that people can relate to me and to know they love me.”
Another employee at Starkville Cafe, Julia, who prefers not to have her last name printed, started in August 2022 and often finds herself working shifts with Mrs. Shirley and helping her serve tables on busy mornings.
Julia said Ross is personal and intentional with every customer she encounters.
“It’s fun to see how fast and efficient she works and her personal connection with the customers. She knows so much about these people,” Julia said.
On her break, Mrs. Shirley sits at the same community table with other customers to eat and mingle with those she served only five minutes before. These simple conversations and relaxation with patrons show her character and kind nature.
Mrs. Shirley is a landmark for the Starkville community all on her own. Her kindness and the work she does for others comes straight from her heart, and  the Starkville community recognizes those characteristics.
To Starkville residents and her regulars at Starkville Cafe, Mrs. Shirley is well known and adored, but to her, she lives a normal life and enjoys nothing more than being with family.
“I like to take my family and my grandkids to go out to eat and go to movies. I like to go to church. I like to listen to music, you know, ease my mind.” Ross said.