Longtime Valley resident Shirley Willschau, 79, died December 29, 2013 at the Juniper Village in Monte Vista surrounded by her daughters and loving staff of Juniper Village.
Shirley Ann Willschau was born in Rapid City, South Dakota to Carl and Doris Schleuning on April 7, 1934. She grew up in Faith, South Dakota on a ranch an graduated from Faith High School. While in South Dakota she worked in the hospital and also as a Teacher in a country school. IN South Dakota she met the love of her life Everett Conrad (Coonie) Eichel. Soon after they were married and moved to Pueblo West, Colorado to work on a ranch and then onto Del Norte, CO where they worked on the Frisco Creek ranch and raised their three daughters. Shirley loved the ranch life including her horses and dogs. After Coonie passed away she worked hard to raise her three girls and held down various jobs, sometimes 2 to 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet.
After Shirley accomplished getting her daughters to adulthood, she met the second love of her life Bud Willschau. Bud and Shirley eloped to Homer, Alaska to be married and she and Bud retired in Del Norte, CO. The family joked about the fact that she married her daughter’s father in law and put a kink in the family tree.
Shirley had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh and make other people laugh. She also was a great caregiver, excellent cook, and had a strong work ethic. Most of all she was a wonderful mother to her girls.
She is preceded in death by her parents and her husbands.
Shirley is survived by her daughters Lola (Dwight) McConnell, Karla (Jim) Willschau, Connie (Scott) Scidmore, grandchildren Amber (Brad) Cooper, Tyrel (Wendy) McConnell, Jamie Willschau and Jake Hirning, John Willschau, Brady and Shawn Scidmore and four great-grandchildren Connor and Carter Cooper and Alika and Skylar McConnell.
Cremation was chosen and a Celebration of Life Service will be held 2:00 pm Saturday, January 4, 2014 at the Rogers Family Mortuary, 404 Morris Street in Monte Vista. Contributions are suggested to the Juniper Village, which will be used for resident activities, and may be made in care of the funeral home office.