KOHLER, Shirley Jane (Fink, Ritter) 1955-2011
KOHLER, FINK, BARRETT, RITTER
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 12/24/2011 at 18:06:51
NORA SPRINGS, IOWA - Shirley Jane Kohler, 56, of 112 N. Quinby, passed away Thursday, December 22, 2011, surrounded by her family, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011, at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third St. N.E., Mason City with the Rev. Wendy Johannesen officiating. Interment will be held at Park Cemetery, Nora Springs. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday Dec. 26, 2011, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be designated to the Shirley Jane Kohler Memorial Fund.
Shirley was born September 6, 1955, in Osage, Iowa, to Jim and Margaret (Barrett) Fink. She was fourth in line, in a family of 10 brothers and sisters. She graduated from Nora Springs-Rock Falls in 1974. In August of that same year, she married Charlie Ritter. They became parents of two sons, Jason and Nick. Charlie passed away in 1991. Shirley worked various jobs up to the time she got her cosmetology license and then worked that career for over twenty years. She worked from her home which was called Shirley's Styling Salon. Her strong work ethic was a lifelong trait.
In 1999, Shirley married Jay Kohler and welcomed his daughter, Courtney, into her life. Shirley loved flowers and her back yard is a display of her creativity. She also loved quilting. When she had spare time, she would be found in her quilting room busy at work. Because she wanted to leave a special keepsake to her sisters, Shirley hand sewed quilts for each one. She gave the quilts out on a very special day in November. She had wanted to wait for Christmas, but somehow knew she wasn't going to be able to wait.
Shirley's passion in life was in her three grandchildren, Wyatt, Brylee, and Charlie. They kept her determined to fight. The kids loved going to "Mema Shirley's" for their weekly supper night. Papa Jay always made milk shakes for dessert. More special times were had when Papa Jay took the kids to the farm. Shirley leaves knowing Papa will continue the tradition.
She has inner peace knowing that Jay loves her sons, Nick and Jason as much as she does. Shirley had many friends and was a good one to have. She loved to have fun and was very uplifting even in her sickest days. She left life in graciousness, just like she always lived. Her outer beauty was equal to her inner beauty. She lived her life in a way that always amazed people around her. She called a spade a spade and was true-blue and down to earth. The little things in life were big things to Shirley.
Left heartbroken are her husband Jay; her sons, Jason (Courtney) Ritter and Nick Ritter, of Nora Springs; step-daughter, Courtney (Kyle) Stephenson, of Van Meter, Iowa; three grandchildren, Wyatt, Brylee, and Charlie Ritter; her mother, Margaret Fink, of Nora Springs; siblings, Pam (Mike) McKiness of Clear Lake, Patty (Jim) Gast, Jamie Bonner of Mason City, Cheryl (Paul) Christensen of Albert City, Sandra (Jim) Pappas of St. Cloud, Minn., Julie (Dennis) Walker, Chuck (Cindy) Fink, Weston (Jody) Fink all of Nora Springs, and Jimmy (Jodi) Fink of Rockford.
Shirley will be greatly missed by the Kohler family: Mother-in-law, Betty Kohler, Michelle (Jon) Whitesell, John (Carla) Kohler of Nora Springs, Mike (Linda) Kohler of Mason City, Mary Jane (Mark) Sullivan of Rosehill, Iowa and Jeannette (Dave) Greiman, of Garner.
The Ritter family: Fran Ritter of Mason City, Mike (Doris) Ritter of Hamilton, Ill., Wanita (Joel) Enabnit of Mason City and Donnella (John) McGrew of Oskaloosa, Iowa, along with many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Preceding Shirley in death are Charlie Ritter, Charlie's brother Jimmy, her father, Jim Fink, father-in-laws, Lawrence Kohler and Don Ritter, maternal and paternal grandparents, brother-in-law Jack Bonner and niece and nephew Kirby and David Pappas.
Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third St. N.E., Mason City, IA; 641-423-2372; www.colonialchapels.com .
[ Mason City Globe Gazette online, December 24, 2011 ]
Floyd Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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