Shirley Wernisch, age 90, of Canby, MN passed away on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at Rosewood Assisted Living in Montevideo, MN. Memorial service will be held at 10:00am Saturday, November 12th at the First Baptist Church in Canby, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the Canby City Cemetery. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel of Canby, MN is entrusted with the arrangements.
Shirley Mae Wernisch was born on January 21, 1932 in Dubuque, Iowa to Leo and Margerate (Trueb) Gross. She was raised in Madison, South Dakota. On September 7, 1951 Shirley was united in marriage to Harry Reimound Wernisch at the First Baptist Church in Madison, SD and to this union they were blessed with five children. Shirley worked as a nurse’s aide for 20 plus years after her children were raised. Shirley enjoyed entertaining, volunteering and hosting family gatherings where she would take care of her family by cooking and baking for everyone. Playing cards, watching old time movies and collecting bells was fun past time for many years. Years of camping, traveling and visiting with family and friends produced a lifetime worth of memories. Memories the family will cherish will be that Shirley was a cutthroat Canasta player and that she loved racing and working at the racetrack. She loved her husband’s roses and being barefoot and she was known to be terrified of mice. Long good-byes, New Years Day Chop Suey and her love for her grandchildren are memories the family will cherish forever. Shirley was a member of the First Baptist Church in Canby for many years where she was active in church events and duties.
Shirley passed away on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at Rosewood Assisted Living in Montevideo, MN with her children by her side at the age of 90 years, 8 months and 18 days old.
Grateful for having shared her life are her children: William (Dawn) Wernisch, Canby, Barbara (Maylon) Dover, Madison, SD, Nancy (Dan) Willaby, Darfur, MN, Ilene Richard, Montevideo, MN; 16 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren; in-laws, Rieny (Joyce) Wernisch, Rapid City, SD and Alice Abbett, Sacramento, CA and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents; her stepfather; her brother and sister; one daughter, Gail and her husband of 69 years, Harry Wernisch.
