Shirley Courtney

SHIRLEY COURTNEY Decorah Shirley Courtney, 86, of Decorah, died peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at Gunderson Lutheran in La Crosse, Wis. She was surrounded by her children. Shirley was born Oct. 17, 1928, in Decorah, to Evelyn (Berg) Bernatz and attended Decorah Public Schools. She was united in marriage to Peter F. Courtney on May 3, 1949, at St. Benedict's Catholic Church. Shirley and Pete lived on the Courtney family farm near Bluffton until 1966 when they moved to Decorah. Shirley worked as a bookkeeper for several local businesses. In 1975, she began working at Aase Haugen where she would become the bookkeeper and stay for over 20 years. Shirley and Pete raised four children, Jeffrey (Kathy Hansen) of Newaygo, Mich., Joni (Kent) Eubank of Coralville, Jay (Patricia Triska) Courtney of Coralville and Joel (Elizabeth Hennings) Courtney of Waukon. Shirley was also blessed with 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Shirley and Pete loved to dance and enjoyed Nob Hill on a Saturday night. In her leisure time, Shirley always loved crocheting, reading and crossword puzzles. Both were also very involved with the Kilties Drum & Bugle Corp. Shirley was preceded in death by Peter, her husband of 44 years, in 1993; and her mother, Evelyn in 2000. Shirley had a special friend in Carsten Hovden, also of Decorah. For the last 16 years, they enjoyed each other's company as they traveled, fished and talked. A memorial Celebration of Life will be held May 3, 2015, a date chosen by the children as a tribute to the anniversary of their parent's life together. Details will be published closer to the event. Please log on to www.IowaCremations.com to view a complete obituary and leave an online message to the family.