Shirley Rose (Armatis) COOK SZABO

GRAY, ARMATIS, COOK, SZABO, WYATT, SUBBERT, SVENDSEN, HEINS, YOUNG, STURGES, KOSTER, MILLER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/13/2007 at 13:35:38

Shirley Rose Szabo, daughter of Frank and Mildred (Gray) Armatis, was born Jan. 16, 1940 at Clarion, Iowa. After struggling more than a year with cancer, she died Sunday, March 27, 1994 in the Good Samaritan Home at Postville, Iowa. She was 54. She was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic faith as a child. She graduated from the Rockwell High School in 1958, and married Dennis J. Cook that same year. They had four children: Randall, Curtis, Teresa and Anita. She made her early career raising her children, and was a very loving and devoted mother. In 1979, Shirley earned an associates degree in nursing from Northeast Iowa Community College at Calmar, graduating with honors. She was the director of nurses at the Oneota Care Facility at Decorah until 1994. On Dec 4, 1982, Shirley married Victor E. Szabo in St. Benedict Catholic Church in Decorah. Their 11 years of marriage were spent enjoying their family, gardening, fishing and traveling throughout the U. S. Shirley was an active member of St. Bridget Catholic Church in Postville.

She is preceded in death by her father, Frank Armatis, a brother, and four sisters. Surviving are her husband, Victor, of Castalia; two sons, Randall and Molly Cook of Cedar Rapids and Curtis and Suzie Cook of Roseville, Minn.; two daughters, Teresa and Garet Wyatt of Sioux Fall, S. D. and Anita and Teryl Subbert of Cedar Rapids; three stepdaughters, Vicky and David Svendsen of Castalia, Dina Szabo of Cedar Rapids, and Lisa and Mike Heins of Postville; two stepsons, Shannon Szabo of Cedar Rapids and Michael Szabo of Castalia; 14 grandchildren; her mother, Mildred Armatis of Rockwell; four sisters, Diane Young of Garner, Jane and Bob Sturges of Rockwell, Peg Koster of Fond du Lac, Wis., and Betsy and Alan Miller of Ft. Madison; and four brothers, Frank and Cathy Armatis, Jr. of Stillwater, Minn.; Dennis and Vicky Armatis of Paris, Calif., Don and Deb Armatis of Swaledale and Todd Armatis of Mason City.

A funeral mass was held Wednesday, March 30 at 10 a.m. at St. Bridget Catholic Church at Postville, the Rev. Roger L. Katz officiating. Carol Katsumes, organist, accompanied the St. Bridget's choir. The Schutte Funeral Service was in charge of arrangements. Burial was in the Bloomfield Cemetery.

Postville Herald-Leader, ca. March 1994