Shirley Stone Gleason and the Private Family Behind Doc Adams

When Milburn Stone died in June 1980, his daughter appeared in the surviving family list as Shirley Stone Gleason of Costa Mesa. That brief identification is one of the clearest anchors in a life that has otherwise remained difficult to reconstruct. I find its simplicity useful: she was a daughter and a private adult, rather than a documented extension of her father’s television career.

Shirley was Milburn’s only child, born during his first marriage to Ellen Morrison. Her father became famous as Doc Adams on Gunsmoke, but no acting career or screen credits are established for Shirley herself. The family name opens the door to her story; it does not fill the room.

A Birth in the 1920s With Conflicting Details

Shirley’s birth is generally placed around 1926, although compiled family accounts also offer dates in 1928. The variations extend beyond a single day: they disagree about the year and whether she was born in Kansas or California.

I would describe her as born in the mid-to-late 1920s rather than choose a precise birthday from incompatible entries. Names such as Shirley Joan Stone and Shirley A. Gleason also appear, but the firmest family identification remains Shirley Stone Gleason, Milburn’s daughter.

Her death chronology is similarly unsettled. Some compilations give August 17, 2001, while another version gives 2018. Because the entries contradict one another, neither should become an unquestioned endpoint for her biography.

Milburn Stone Before Gunsmoke

Shirley’s father, Hugh Milburn Stone, was born in Burrton, Kansas, on July 5, 1904. His parents were Herbert Stone and Laura Belfield, making them Shirley’s paternal grandparents.

His school activities included acting, basketball, and singing in a barbershop quartet. He moved toward professional performance through stage work, including Broadway appearances in the 1930s, before establishing a film career.

The family had other theatrical connections. Fred Stone, a prominent vaudeville and Broadway performer, was Milburn’s cousin and helped encourage his move toward acting. He is sometimes loosely described as an uncle, but the relationship is that of a cousin.

These theatrical roots belong to Shirley’s family background. They do not establish that she attended the same stages, pursued the same work, or wanted a life in entertainment.

Ellen Morrison and an Early Loss

Milburn married Ellen Morrison of Delphos, Kansas, in 1925. Ellen is also called Nellie in some accounts, and a fuller form, Ellen Kelman Morrison, appears in compiled family material.

Ellen died while Shirley was still a child. The year is usually given as 1937, although one later retelling places it in 1938. The year 1937 remains subject to that one-year discrepancy.

The emotional details of Shirley’s childhood after losing her mother are not documented here. It would be easy to write a dramatic scene, but it would also be invention. What can be said is that the loss occurred before her father became the television figure later audiences knew.

Jane Garrison and the Later Household

Jane Garrison, from Hutchinson, Kansas, became Milburn’s second wife. Their first marriage began in 1939 and ended in divorce in 1940. They later remarried, commonly dated to 1946, and remained together until his death.

Jane was Shirley’s stepmother, not her mother. She survived Milburn and died in 2002.

Joe Stone, Milburn’s brother, was a writer who scripted three episodes of Gunsmoke. Actress Madge Blake was Milburn’s first cousin, placing her in the extended family as Shirley’s first cousin once removed if that relationship is followed precisely.

The Gleason Name and the Next Generation

A marriage to Patrick John Gleason appears in more than one compiled family account. One places the ceremony in San Francisco on March 25, 1946. That is a plausible explanation for her married surname, but the exact marriage details are not sufficiently confirmed to present without qualification.

A daughter named Ellyn Joan Gleason also appears in the compiled family outline.

Milburn’s 1980 surviving family list included four grandchildren. The surviving names and full relationships are not established in the available account. Those four grandchildren should not automatically be described as Shirley’s own grandchildren; they were identified in relation to Milburn.

For me, this is a useful point at which to stop the family chart. Adding guessed descendants would create an illusion of completeness where the record remains incomplete.

Life Beside a Long Television Career

Milburn played Doc Adams throughout the 20-season run of Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975 and won an Emmy in 1968. He underwent heart-bypass surgery in March 1971 and died of a heart attack in La Jolla on June 12, 1980.

Shirley lived long enough to be named among his survivors, but no occupation, salary, estate value, or personal interview is established for her. His awards and television earnings belong to his professional history. They cannot be assigned to his daughter’s career or finances.

FAQ

Who was Shirley Stone Gleason?

She was the only child of Gunsmoke actor Milburn Stone and his first wife, Ellen Morrison. She maintained a private life outside a documented entertainment career.

When was Shirley born?

Her birth is generally placed around 1926, but conflicting dates include 1928.

Was Jane Garrison her mother?

No. Ellen Morrison was her mother. Jane Garrison was her stepmother through Milburn’s second marriage.

Who was Shirley’s husband?

Compiled family accounts identify Patrick John Gleason, with one giving a 1946 marriage. Those precise details remain less firmly confirmed than her married surname.

Is her death date known?

It is unresolved here. Conflicting family compilations give 2001 and 2018, so choosing one as definite would overstate the available evidence.