Shirley M. Stelter

Shirley spent her early years in the small farming town of Woodford, WI where she attended a one-room schoolhouse.  Her extended family also lived in the town and held many positions in the community-postmistress, saloon owner, gas station owner, and town telephone operator (who knew all the gossip according to Shirley). She loved to go sledding and ice skating with her friends.

Shirley was 14 when her family moved to Milwaukee.  Following the untimely death of her father in 1941, and her mother going to work to support the family, she took on the responsibility for her younger brother, Robert, making sure he got off to school on time, cooking family meals and taking care of the household.

She worked at the Post Office, American Appraisal, Graf’s Beverages, and retired from Rexnord in the mid 1980’s.

Shortly after Shirley’s retirement, her mother, Lillian, moved to the Village at Manor Park nursing home.  For the approximately 10 years she was there, Shirley visited her every day until her mother’s death in 1999 at the age of 99.

She even moved across the street so she would be closer.  She enjoyed visiting with the other residents and their families as well as the staff.  It was very comforting for her to spend the last 4 weeks of her life in the same facility.

Shirley found extreme joy in visits and get togethers with nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.  She was an incredible family historian as well as an avid student and lover of history and could discuss WW I and WWII in great detail. Her father served in France in WW 1 and she could still tell us about the campaigns he was a part of.  In addition to the past, she loved a lively discussion on current events and politics.  But she especially enjoyed keeping up with the activities and accomplishments of 17 great-grand nieces and nephews.

Shirley would have celebrated her 100th birthday on November 24.  We are so happy we celebrated her 99th last year.

She was blessed to have her full mental capabilities to the very end and was surrounded the past few weeks by those she loved and who loved her, from the oldest to the youngest and everyone in between.