Shirley Ehlers

Date of Birth

Nov 11,1926

Date of Death

Nov 09,2014

Shirley Ehlers, age 87, of Woodstock, formerly of the Elburn and St. Charles areas, passed away Sunday morning, November 9, 2014. She was born on November 11, 1926 in Aurora, IL, the daughter of Henry and Augusta (Nelson) Henderson. She grew up on a dairy farm in rural Elburn and attended local schools. She graduated from Elburn High School with the class of 1944. Shirley was united in marriage to Philip Johnson on November 6, 1948 in Elburn, IL, and later found love a second time when she married Ewald "Gus" Ehlers.Shirley made memories everywhere she lived, most of them coming from her years in Elburn and St. Charles, but in recent years, many were made in Woodstock as well. Shirley spent many years as a smiling face behind the counter at Kane County Bank in both Elburn and Sugar Grove, where she worked as a Teller. Later she worked at Elburn Farm Equipment until her retirement. Shirley was a member of the Women’s Auxilliary and Quivera Club.Shirley loved traveling over the years and logged many interesting trips throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. When she came home, nothing was more enjoyable than playing Pinnacle and Bridge with friends and family, reading one of her books (her favorite was a good mystery) or watching her favorite movies. She is survived two children, Kenneth Philip Johnson and Carol Eileen Betsinger;Three grandchildren: Meghan (Ryan) Dykstra,Hannah Johnson and Anders Johnson; Five great-grandchildren: Zoe, Keightlyn, Max and Emma Dykstra, and Ava Christiansen.She is preceded in death by her mother Augusta Henderson on December 13, 1982, her father Henry Henderson on July 21, 1986, husband Ewald "Gus" Ehlers on Dec. 4, 2001, and granddaughter Ami Christiansen on February 4, 2007.Visitation will be from 5-7:30 p.m., with a funeral service to follow at 7:30 p.m., at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL, on Friday, November 14, 2014. A graveside service will begin at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 15, 2014, at Blackberry Township Cemetery, Elburn. Family and friends are invited to meet at the cemetery to say their last farewell. A memorial has been established in her name to benefit cystic fibrosis research. Checks may be made to the Minnesota Chapter of Cystic Fibrosis and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address or on the web at www.conleycare.com.

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