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The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Shirley Eschen
SHIRLEY ESCHEN
Independence
Shirley J. Eschen, 80, of Independence, died Thursday, April 9, 2015, at Buchanan County Long Term Care Center, Independence.
Shirley was born Nov. 5, 1934, in Brownsdale, Minn.,
the daughter of Chester D. and Alice K. (Halstead) Francis. In 1950, she moved with her family to the Independence, Iowa, area and graduated from Independence High School in 1952. On April 3, 1953, she married Lewis J. Eschen at the Little Brown Church, Nashua.
Shirley loved to spend time with her family and to walk, bicycle, and coffee with her friends.
She is survived by two children, Brenda Hulse and Michael Eschen of Independence; a granddaughter, Emily (Kirk) Burkle, Manchester; a great-grandson, Payton Burkle; and a sister, JoAnn Hughes, Austin, Minn.
Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lewis, in 1995; and a brother, Robert Francis.
Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Monday at Reiff Funeral Home & Crematory, Independence, where friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, and from 11 a.m. until service time Monday. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Independence.
To leave an online condolence please go to www.reifffuneralhome.com under obituaries.
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