Shirley Whitney

SHIRLEY ANNE BURNS WHITNEY

Winthrop

Shirley Anne (with an "e", as she would always say) Burns Whitney died at the age of 85 on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, at Prairie Hills Assisted Living, Independence, Iowa, of Alzheimer's disease. Services will be Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, Winthrop, with Father Donald J. Plamondon officiating. Visitation will be at Fawcett Funeral Home, Winthrop, Thursday, Dec. 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. and until 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Shirley was born May 3, 1930, in Waterloo, Iowa, to John and Bridget (Short) Burns. She grew up in the Lamont area, graduating from Lamont High School. She taught school for a short time. She married Robert L. Whitney on Sept. 13, 1949, and together they began raising their family in the Monti area. After moving to Winthrop in 1961, Shirley worked many jobs, including East Buchanan School lunchroom, Tegen's in Independence, Buchanan County Office of Economic Opportunity, and finally finished her working career at McElroy's Deli, working well into her 70s.

Shirley loved nothing more than cooking and baking and was very well-known for her homemade bread and cinnamon rolls. She also enjoyed making cookies and candies at Christmas time which she shared with friends, neighbors and her children's places of business. Each family member who came to visit was treated to their favorite "mom" dish, be it scalloped potatoes and ham, shepherd's pie, macaroni and cheese, or especially her sugar cookies!

Shirley was a devout Catholic her entire life. Even as the disease was taking her mind, she continued to say "What time is church?" all day every day and would "instruct" the Prairie Hills staff in learning the Ten Commandments and their prayers!

Shirley leaves five children, Linda (Terry) Peterson, Winthrop, and daughters Tara (Baye) Pene, and Courtney Peterson (Stacey Steinke) and daughters Claudia and Vivian Steinke, Tim (Jenny) Whitney, Cedar Rapids, and daughters Crystal (Mike) Rink and Shannon (Logan) Dewes, Maria (Tom) Ball, New York/

Winthrop, and children Austin (Kimberly) and Whitney (fiance, Patrick Farrell), Terry (Janet) Whitney, Cedar Rapids, and daughter Erica (Josh) Kearns and their daughter Hadley Sue, and Collin (Joyce) Whitney, Winthrop, and sons Dylan and Mitchell; and one brother, Robert (Doris) Burns, Winthrop. She also leaves many nieces and nephews.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Robert Whitney (2005); three sons, Tom, Ted and an infant son; a great-granddaughter, Shelby Kearns; a sister, Dorothy Callahan; and a brother, Donald Burns.

The family would like to thank first Robert and Doris Burns for their unwavering support to us. They were always available when help was needed in caring for Mom, first at home and then at Prairie Hills. They became our fill-in parents as we continued to lose Mom to Alzheimer's.

We also want to acknowledge all staff members of Hospice Care Initiatives of Waterloo, especially caregiver Cindy Lahr, for their devoted attention and care to Mom. They seem to know what is needed before it's needed.

Finally, there are absolutely no words that can adequately thank the administration and staff at Prairie Hills Assisted Living, Independence, for the care Mom received while a resident there beginning in September 2014. The administration went above and beyond to see to her business and health needs, and the cooks catered beautifully to her "quirky" food requests. But the actual hands-on caregivers all wore invisible angel wings. They treated Mom as if she were their own mother or grandmother. They say she made them laugh, and we hope they will remember that as the gift she gave to them, hoping to make their jobs a little easier. God bless you all.