Shirley Thompson

SHIRLEY THOMPSON

Cedar Rapids

Shirley Stansbury Thompson, 91, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Jan. 11, 2015, of pneumonia as a consequence of the flu. She was a resident of Cottage Grove Place and spent her last days in the Ed and Joan Hemphill Hospice Unit of St. Luke's Hospital.

Due to her wishes, there will be no services. A private family burial will be at a later date in the spring at the Rock Island Military Cemetery, where her husband is buried. Initial arrangements are being handled by Murdoch Funeral Home and Cre-mation Center, Marion.

Shirley is survived by one daughter, Pamela Mahany of Cedar Rapids; her friend, Ron Massingill; one grandson, Brandon (Heather) Carr of Irvine, Calif.; a sister, Verna Holmgren of Ishpeming, Mich.; a sister-in-law, Janice Marsh of Sun City West, Ariz.; three nieces and two nephews, Debbie (Doug) Reif, Joan (Bruce) Nelson, Julianne (George) Quayle, David (Cookie) Holmgren and Dr. Richard (Jane) Marsh.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Robert Thompson; a son-in-law, Ronald Mahany; brothers-in-law, Lu Holmgren of Ishpeming, Mich., and Dr. Elwin Marsh of Sun City West, Ariz.; and a nephew, Dr. Steven (Nancy) Marsh of Sioux City, Iowa.

Shirley was born in Ishpeming, Mich., in 1923 to two hard-working parents, Herbert and Flossie (Heard) Stansbury. Her grandparents, both paternal and maternal, were born in England. Her father, at age 14, had to leave school after a promising future to support his family because of the sudden death of his father. Shirley was raised in the mining community of Ishpeming. She was proud of her heritage.

Shirley graduated from Ishpeming High School in 1941 and St. Luke's School of Nursing in Chicago in 1945 as a registered nurse. In 1949, she married Robert A. Thompson at Thorndike Hilton Memorial Chapel on the University of Chicago campus.

While in high school she worked in the financial department of Dubinsky's Department Store in Ishpeming. She was head nurse on the medical floor of St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago and then moved to Anchorage, Alaska, when her husband was recalled for the Korean War. At that time she worked as an issue clerk at the commis-sary at El- mendorf Air Force Base until 1952. After the war she and her husband moved to Sioux City, Iowa, and she worked as a registered nurse at St. Luke's Medical Center. She was instrumental in starting the neonatal intensive care unit for the hospital. She worked closely with student nurses training them in obstetrics and neonatal-intensive care. She and her husband moved to Cedar Rapids in 1992.

Shirley was a member of PEO Chapter EY of Sioux City and then demitted to Chapter KJ of Marion. She was a member of First Congregational Church in Sioux City. Shirley was a member of the Alumni of Rush University Medical Center of Chicago.

While living at Cottage Grove she enjoyed her circle of dinner friends, the Caring Friends group, the Methodist worship services and the Friday Current Events group, which she and her husband started soon after moving to Cottage Grove Place nearly a decade ago. She and her husband were voracious readers and enjoyed keeping up with the world news.

Shirley will always be remembered as a kind-hearted, gentle, con-scientious woman and it was because of these traits she made an excellent nurse. She took pride in teaching the student nurses. She was an exceptionally wonderful wife and mother. She was always a patient listener and a source of wisdom for her family and friends. Shirley had quiet determination and courage. She was an unselfish person who was always thinking of others.

Instead of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Ronald L. Mahany Endowment Fund, c/o The Foundation, UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's Hospital, 1026 A Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids.

Please share a memory of Shirley at www.murdochfuneral home.com under obituaries.