Lela Belle Sawyer Shirley 1912-1999

SHIRLEY, SAWYER, FERGUSON, WENISCH

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 9/14/2012 at 23:22:02

Lela Shirley
Estherville – Funeral services for Lela Belle Shirley, 87, of Estherville will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4 at the First Christian Church in Estherville with Dr. Mike Thiel officiating. Interment will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Estherville. She died November 30 in Sacramento, Calif.

Visitation will be held today from 5-8 p.m. at the Henry-Olson-Fuhrman Funeral Home in Estherville.

She was born on November 21, 1912 in Urbana, the daughter of Spencer Alva and Lela Fern (Ferguson) Sawyer.

She graduated from Estherville High School in 1929.

On September 21, 1931 she was united in marriage to Charles Edward Shirley in Winchester, Ind. Following their marriage the couple made their home in Estherville where she was employed at Estherville Grocery House as a bookkeeper for 16 years. She was later employed by Maple Hill Lumber Company for 37 years. The couple moved to Norfolk, Neb. for a year and a half.

She was an active member and held many offices at the First Christian Church in Estherville since 1924.

She is survived by one daughter, JoAnn Wenisch and husband Chuck of Gold River, Calif.; one son, Jack Shirley and wife Mary of Zumbrota, Minn.; two brothers, Verdae Sawyer and wife Janet of Blue Springs, Mo. and Don Sawyer and wife Lorene of Spirit Lake; one sister-in-law, Jeanne Sawyer of Owatonna, Minn.; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; her parents; four brothers and one sister. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, December 3, 1999