Shirley Ann Pitcher
PITCHER, TRENKAMP, THINES, SCHMIDT, GOOD, DRISCOL, BORMANN, TRENKAMP, LUBBEN, WENZEL, BURKEN
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 2/26/2024 at 08:42:30
Shirley Ann Pitcher, 77, of Coralville, IA died unexpectedly at her home on Sunday, February 18, with her beloved husband by her side.
Visitation will be from 4:30 – 6:30 pm on Thursday, February 22 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Coralville. Celebration of Life Mass will be at 11:00 am on Friday, February 23 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Coralville, IA, followed by lunch in the church fellowship hall. Burial will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Coralville Community Food Pantry.
Shirley was born on December 22, 1946 in Clinton, IA, the daughter of Henry and Marion (Thines) Trenkamp. She was raised on a farm near Preston, IA and then Charlotte, IA. She was a graduate of Northeast High School, Elvira, IA.
Being raised on a farm in Sugar Creek, Shirley learned to be hardworking. She was the oldest of nine children and was known for being very dependable. She helped run the house by cooking, cleaning and caring for her younger siblings. Shirley graduated school with honors and stayed friends with her classmates for life. She met her future husband on a blind date while working as a research assistant at the University of Iowa Cancer Registry. After getting married, life with a family became her most important and fulfilling job.
Shirley married James “Jim” C. Pitcher on January 27, 1973 in Sugar Creek, IA and enlisted in the Army Reserves as a chaplain assistant and clerk in the 403rd Military Police unit. She served two years as a sergeant in the Army Reserves while continuing to work in cancer research, a job that she enjoyed for a total of ten years.
Shirley was blessed with five children: William “Bill”, Anne, Alan, Sara and James. Caring for her kids brought her great joy. She was always putting the needs of others before her own. In addition to raising her family she also ran an in-home daycare, caring for those children as if they were her own.
Shirley always had baked goods including cookies, breads, pies, and other treats for her family and their friends. Everyone was welcome at her table and there was always enough food.
She taught her kids valuable skills by involving them in the kitchen, assigning chores, and engaging them in interesting craft activities. Shirley took an active role in her children’s interests: leading her local cub scout pack, being a teacher’s aide, working on uniforms for the marching band, and baking treats for all her children’s activities. She supported her children and encouraged them all to receive the highest honor in Scouting, the Boy Scout Eagle and the Girl Scout Gold Award. As her children grew older, Shirley began working in food service, eventually heading the salad department for the Iowa City Community School District until retirement.
After retirement, she enjoyed visiting and spending time with her grandchildren, Abigail, Nevaeh and Mason. Baking chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins with them brought them all great joy. Taking them to the mall for a visit to the children's museum, playground and an ice cream treat made for many special memories.
Shirley was a member of St. Thomas More Church for 40 years. She ensured that her family consistently attended mass on time, many times arriving at church prior to the doors being unlocked.
Shirley enjoyed sewing and crafting including making costumes, doll clothes, and patching her kid’s clothes. She also did other sewing projects including making prayer shawls for the church, baby blankets for the hospital, and other knitted and crocheted gifts. Shirley maintained a vast garden including a variety of fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers. Summers were full of freshly picked strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus and a bounty of other wholesome fruits and vegetables. She turned this produce into an assortment of treats including fresh peach shakes, sour cherry pies, rhubarb bars, jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, and other delectable delights.
Shirley is survived by her husband Jim; children: William “Bill” Pitcher (Monica Schmidt), Anne (Dustin) Good, Alan Pitcher, Sara Pitcher and James Pitcher; grandchildren: Abigail, Nevaeh and Mason; siblings: Sharon Driscol, Sandra (Ralph) Bormann, Darrell (Lois) Trenkamp, Donna Lubben, Darla Wenzel and Debra (Bob) Burken. She is also survived by numerous extended family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hank and Marion Trenkamp and her brothers, Gerald and William “Bill” Trenkamp.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen