Shirley Ann Spitzer

When reflecting on the life of Shirley Spitzer, words such as gracious, loving, and kindhearted come to mind. However, the word that is most commonly woven throughout her tapestry in time is selfless. She lived to serve others, and everything she generously gave was given with no strings attached as her life exemplifies the Bible passage that states that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. A loving wife and devoted mother, Shirley was the rock of her family that later grew to include grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were the light of her life. Accompanied by an unwavering faith, it is easy to see that her faith was the compass she used to direct her steps. Life will never be the same without Shirley here, but her memory will remain forever near and dear to the hearts of all who were immeasurably blessed to have known and loved her. The 1930s were a trying time in American history as the entire decade was cloaked in the hardship of the Great Depression. Jobs were scarce, which drove the unemployment rate to over 25 percent leaving cities, communities, and families to do whatever they could to weather the storm. Despite the hardship around them, a young couple from Utica, Minnesota, was filled with unspeakable joy to announce the birth of their healthy baby girl on March 14, 1936. Shirley Ann was the fourth of twelve children born to her parents, Marvin and Evelyn (Nisbit) Burt, and was joined in her family by her siblings, Dorothy, Marlys, Donald, Merlin, Roger, Judith, Kay, Patty, Linda, Jim, and John. As one of the older children, Shirley helped raise her younger siblings, and she was especially close to her sister, Dorothy. She also worked to help make ends meet within the family, riding her bike to work at Craven's egg plant. It was as a young girl of 15 that Shirley met the young man who would be her dance partner for more than 50 years. His name was Ervin Spitzer, and they met at a dance at The Oaks. Sparks flew right from the start, and they soon found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to spend the rest of their lives together the sweethearts were married on August 28, 1953, after dating for two years. Shirley always loved to dance, and they also enjoyed going out to dinner at the Little Acorn in Utica. Throughout her life she was very close with her mother-in-law, Annie Spitzer, who said of Shirley that she was the best cook ever. Together Shirley and Ervin were thrilled to welcome five children including Donald, Cheryl, Sandy, Deb, and Wayne into their hearts and home. Between she and her husband, Shirley was the primary disciplinarian as he would give his children his famous "look," but Shirley was the one to follow through with the consequences. When her children were young she often could be found out playing catch in the yard with them, or at times she just watched from inside the house to make sure that no windows were broken! Family vacations were of the utmost importance to Shirley, and some of the favorites were to the Alexandria, Brainerd, Bemidji, and Ely areas . Through her hard work her children learned what it means to work hard. Together they worked in their garden and sold strawberries, and they also raised, butchered, and sold chickens. Although the butchering was never really a favorite among her children, they did learn the value in working at something as a family. As her family and friends can attest, Shirley was forever a bustle of activity. For several years she was active as a 4-H leader as she helped her children prepare gardening projects, ducks, chickens, rabbits, cattle, and hogs to exhibit at the fair. Through the years they had quite a collection of ribbons to show for their hard work. Ervin was involved in the Minnesota Jersey Cattle Club, and Shirley loved going with him to meetings to discover new friends. Shirley was a longtime member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in St. Charles. Her mother-in-law was not the only one who thought that Shirley was an amazing cook as it was common knowledge among everyone who knew Shirley. The usual Sunday lunch that many family members looked forward to at Shirley's house was cheeseburgers and french fries. She also fed the custom farm workers. Wendell and Kip Ploetz told Shirley she was "The best cook in Winona County." Shirley played cards, dice, Yahtzee, golf card game, dominos, 10,000, and she also did crossword puzzles and word searches. She enjoyed watching the Game Show Network and R.F.D. (country music station) on television with popcorn balls being among her favorite treats. The experiences Shirley enjoyed most were the ones shared with her loved ones. Last year her daughters took her on a surprise girls weekend to the casino. Shirley wanted to go to bed right away, however, the girls had big plans as they took her into the casino theatre for one of the best surprises of her life - a concert from her favorite country singer, Loretta Lynn. She also enjoyed music from Charlie Pride. Holidays were always at Shirley's house including New Year's Day dinner, at least until the family grew too large! One of the best days of her life was when they had an unforgettable 50th anniversary party. The family had worked together to tear down old buildings and build a new garage, which is where the party was held. Shirley was deeply saddened with the death of her beloved husband on June 9, 2006. All who knew Shirley Spitzer would agree that she was a true blessing to everyone she met. She was described as sassy and spunky, but she was also loving and gentle. One never needed to wonder what Shirley thought as she didn't shy away from speaking her mind, yet her words were always laced in love. Some of the family traditions that Shirley started include holiday cookie baking and decorating, popcorn ball making, viewing the annual Eagles Cancer Telethon, and more recently, partaking in "Sisterhood getaways."Her devotion to her family was unmatched, and her love for everyone she met knew no bounds. Shirley's timeless legacy will be carried on by all who follow in her footsteps. Shirley Ann Spitzer, of St. Charles, died Thursday, January 8th, at her daughter's home in rural St. Charles. Shirley's family includes her five children: Donald (Mary) Spitzer of Winona, Cheryl (Jerry) Mueller of St. Charles, Sandy (Paul) Ihrke of St. Charles, Deb (Randy) Franzen of Lewiston, and Wayne (Michele) Spitzer of St. Charles; "adopted" daughter, Mic Tesch; very close former daughter-in-law, Deb Spitzer; siblings: Marlys Schultz, Donald (Arlene Groth) Burt, Merlin (Joann) Burt, Roger (Mary) Burt, Judith (Floyd) Sanders, Kay (Darald) Sorenson, Patty (Tony) Patzner, Linda (Roger) Duellman, Jim (Deanna) Burt, and John (Lori) Burt; 17 grandchildren: Kathleen Doebbert, Rebecca & David Spitzer, Jamie Staudacher, Bob & Mark Mueller, Annie Douangdy, Jennica Gray, Samantha Lovlien, Eric, Adam, Alyssa & Emily Franzen, Andrew, Ashley & Austin Spitzer, Johnathan Adler and Matthew Kunde; 14 great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law Donna Prudoehl, and Brother-in-law Rudie (Marie) Spitzer and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband Ervin, Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, her mother-in- law and father-in-law Anna and Adolph Spitzer, infant grandson, Daniel Pickett, sister, Dorothy Anderson Bronner, and four brother-in-laws. Bill Schultz, Art Anderson, Jim Prudoehl, and Vern Spitzer, as well as sister-in-law Carol Spitzer. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in St. Charles with the Reverend Samuel Morsching officiating. Burial will follow in Hillside Cemetery. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday at Hoff Funeral Service in St. Charles, as well as one hour before services at the church on Wednesday. Please share a memory of Shirley, view her Tribute Video and read her Life Story when they become available at www.hofffuneral.com. Pallbearers will be David Spitzer, Bob Mueller, Mark Mueller, Jamie Staudacher, Eric Franzen, Adam Franzen, Andrew Spitzer & Austin Spitzer. Honorary Pallbearers will be Kathleen Doebbert, Becky Spitzer, Annie Douangdy, Jennica Gray, Samantha Lovlien, Alyssa Franzen, Emily Franzen, Ashley Spitzer and Katie Tesch.
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/557872