"Dearest family members of Shirley: My deepest sympathies to you and yours in the loss of your dear Shirley. I''''m sorry I wasn''''t able to be at the service and celebrate the Life of Shirley with you. I had the privilege of helping her with her personal cares and giving Stan a respite weekly until her move to Sunrise. You left a lasting impression of a family that would do anything for her. Blessed Be Her Memory. May you draw strength from each other as you grieve her loss. My Love And Prayers. JoAnn Pream"
In loving memory of
Shirley Jean Christopherson
December 4, 1929 - June 19, 2011
Rochester- Shirley Jean Christopherson, 81, died peacefully on Sunday, June 19, 2011, at Sunrise Cottages in Rochester where she has resided for the past five years.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, June 23, 2011 at Christ United Methodist Church, 400 5th Avenue SW in Rochester with the Reverend Michael Wuehler officiating.Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens.
Shirley Jean Copeman was born December 4, 1929 to Glenn and Alvina (Henke) Copeman in rural Chery Grove, MN.She graduated from Wykoff High School in 1947.On October 20, 1948, she married Stanley Eugene Christopherson in Wykoff, MN.She and her husband, who was in the military, spent 4 years in Sacrament, California before returning to Wykoff, where they farmed for 5 years.
They moved to Rochester, MN in 1960 where her husband worked for IBM.Shirley thoroughly enjoyed working for the Mayo Clinic as a Laboratory Technician for 20 years.She retired in 1989.
Shirley was a member of Christ United Methodist Church.She enjoyed working with ceramics, needleworkand family camping trips.After retirement, she and Stanley enjoyed traveling in their motorhome.She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and especially enjoyed spending time with her family who will dearly miss her.
She is survived by her husband, Stanley; sons, Steven Chrisopherson (Marolee) of Rochester, MN.andScott Christopherson (Cheryl) of Rochester, MN; daughter, Sherry Wood (James) of Rochester, MN.;grandchildren, Brian, Joleen, Emily, Jonathan, Katie, Peter, Becky, Cassie, Jenna and Tessa; great-grandchildren, Riley, Nora, Samuel, Ian, Ava, Allie, Braden, and Bryce; a brother, Jerry Copeman (Sharon) of Rochester, MN; and a sister, Darlene Meyer (Marvin) of Spring Valley, MN.She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant brother, and a sister Delone Schmidt.
Visitation will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home and an hour prior to the service Thursday at the church.Memorials are suggested to the Mayo Clinic for Alzheimer research or to Christ United Methodist Church.
Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place N.W. Rochester, MN. 507-289-3600 Online condolences may be sent towww.ranfranzandvinefh.com
Tributes
"Our sincere sympathy to Stanley and his family. We certainly enjoyed he and Shirley at Countryside Park, TX. She was a lovely lady."
"Our sympathy to Stan and the family. We will always remember Shirley in high school as a cute, fun loving person. God Bless. Don and Lila"
"We want to express our sympathy to all of you in the loss of Shirley. We are aware that this is a release from her affliction and suffering, but it''s still hard to let go of a loved one. I''m involved in another service tomorrow and will not be able to be there, but you will all be remembered in our thoughts and prayers. - Neil & Joan"
"Our deepest sympathy goes out to you and yours. We will miss our Aunt Shirley, she was so kind and always had a smile for everyone. We enjoyed visiting and playing on her back porch as children. May God bless you all."
"I just saw online about the death of Sher and Steve''s dear mother and Marolee''s mother-in-law. Please accept my deepest sympathy. I recall christmas caroling at their home many years ago. I also remember taking care of Peter and your mom going to the doctor with us when he had an ear infection. I hope that the memories you have in your heart will help you get through the days ahead. My brother-in-law passed away and the wake and funeral are at the same time so I will not be able to express my condilences in person. You are all in my thoughts and prayers at this time."