Obituary for Shirley Marie Wiltse
Shirley Marie (Elkins) Wiltse
Shirley was born at home near Lakeview to Robert Kenton and Janet Evelyn (Sanders) Elkins on August 18, 1941, soon after her family moved back to near Chase, Michigan. She started school at the Rosenburg One Room Schoolhouse. In 1951 her family moved to Roger Heights (just south of Big Rapids). She graduated with the first graduating class of the newly consolidated Morley-Stanwood School in 1959. She then attended Central Michigan University for one year.
On November 6, 1960, she married Leon Everett Wiltse in Big Rapids. They made their home in Mt. Pleasant and had two children, Janet and Everett. Shirley was privileged to be a stay-at-home mom where she raised her children, and then the joy of helping with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her family meant a great deal to her, and she hosted many of the family and extended family gatherings in her home. (Christmas in July was so fun… tree and all!)
Her church Community of Christ was very important to her. She was very involved all her life, with many roles from bake sales to being ordained as an elder in 1993 and seven years as a pastor. She was also active with Girl Scouts for several years. (At cookie time her house was filled with tons of boxes of cookies). She also volunteered as the chaplain at Central Michigan Community Hospital and the Thrift Shop.
Shirley loved to knit (lots of mittens, hats for kids, nieces and nephews, grandkids, her Christmas afghan), garden, read (after becoming legally blind Shirley listened to talking books for the blind), bake (her brothers loved her fruitcake and her chocolate chip cookies are her grandkid's favorite!) She always had her cookie jar full of some kind of cookie!
Her favorite place was (and always will be) the “back forty” near Chase, MI, as it was part of her maternal grandparent’s farm which she and Leon owned for many years and has been in her family for 100 years!
Shirley is survived by her children, Janet and Dale Wheeler of Mt. Pleasant, Everett Wiltse of Shepherd, four grandchildren, Amy and Matt Flegel, Justin Wheeler, of Mt. Pleasant, Ana and Tasha (Elias) Wiltse of Shepherd; and 2 great-grandsons Brayden and Easton Flegel of Mt. Pleasant; her brother Roger and Joyce Elkins of Evart; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Leon Wiltse; brothers Ernie and sister-in-law Sandra Elkins, Warren Elkins; her parents, Robert and Evelyn Elkins, Wilbur and Vilo Wiltse; and brother-in-law Garth Wiltse.
Funeral Services for Shirley will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at Clark Family Funeral Chapel with Elder Roger Elkins and Carol Huston officiating. A luncheon will follow in the Reflections Reception Center. Interment will take place in Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. on Monday, June 20, and Tuesday, June 21, from 10 a.m. until the time of Service at Clark Family Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Community of Christ Church, Michigan, Talking Books, or Isabella County Commission on Aging.
Shirley was born at home near Lakeview to Robert Kenton and Janet Evelyn (Sanders) Elkins on August 18, 1941, soon after her family moved back to near Chase, Michigan. She started school at the Rosenburg One Room Schoolhouse. In 1951 her family moved to Roger Heights (just south of Big Rapids). She graduated with the first graduating class of the newly consolidated Morley-Stanwood School in 1959. She then attended Central Michigan University for one year.
On November 6, 1960, she married Leon Everett Wiltse in Big Rapids. They made their home in Mt. Pleasant and had two children, Janet and Everett. Shirley was privileged to be a stay-at-home mom where she raised her children, and then the joy of helping with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her family meant a great deal to her, and she hosted many of the family and extended family gatherings in her home. (Christmas in July was so fun… tree and all!)
Her church Community of Christ was very important to her. She was very involved all her life, with many roles from bake sales to being ordained as an elder in 1993 and seven years as a pastor. She was also active with Girl Scouts for several years. (At cookie time her house was filled with tons of boxes of cookies). She also volunteered as the chaplain at Central Michigan Community Hospital and the Thrift Shop.
Shirley loved to knit (lots of mittens, hats for kids, nieces and nephews, grandkids, her Christmas afghan), garden, read (after becoming legally blind Shirley listened to talking books for the blind), bake (her brothers loved her fruitcake and her chocolate chip cookies are her grandkid's favorite!) She always had her cookie jar full of some kind of cookie!
Her favorite place was (and always will be) the “back forty” near Chase, MI, as it was part of her maternal grandparent’s farm which she and Leon owned for many years and has been in her family for 100 years!
Shirley is survived by her children, Janet and Dale Wheeler of Mt. Pleasant, Everett Wiltse of Shepherd, four grandchildren, Amy and Matt Flegel, Justin Wheeler, of Mt. Pleasant, Ana and Tasha (Elias) Wiltse of Shepherd; and 2 great-grandsons Brayden and Easton Flegel of Mt. Pleasant; her brother Roger and Joyce Elkins of Evart; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Leon Wiltse; brothers Ernie and sister-in-law Sandra Elkins, Warren Elkins; her parents, Robert and Evelyn Elkins, Wilbur and Vilo Wiltse; and brother-in-law Garth Wiltse.
Funeral Services for Shirley will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at Clark Family Funeral Chapel with Elder Roger Elkins and Carol Huston officiating. A luncheon will follow in the Reflections Reception Center. Interment will take place in Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. on Monday, June 20, and Tuesday, June 21, from 10 a.m. until the time of Service at Clark Family Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Community of Christ Church, Michigan, Talking Books, or Isabella County Commission on Aging.