Shirley Ahrens

Shirley was born on May 12, 1922 in Winner, South Dakota to Carl and Hazel (Whiteis) Nowlan. After moving from South Dakota very early on, Shirley was raised in the East Ash and Bethel communities. She had seven siblings. Shirley attended high school in Chadron and received a teaching certificate from Chadron State College. She taught school in rural Dawes County for four years. It was during this time while teaching at District 53 that she met Rudolph Ahrens. They were married June 18, 1947. They built a home on the family farm south of Chadron. Shirley lived there until 1975. Rudolph and Shirley had four children, Karen, Monty, Tim and Betty. After the sudden death of Rudolph on April 30, 1973, Shirley moved to Loveland, Colorado to be closer to her mother and brother Gary. She went back to college and earned a degree in Medical Records. She worked at a nearby Good Samaritan Nursing Home and later at the Longmont Hospital until her retirement in 1988. Shirley enjoyed retirement, caring for her grandchildren first in Chadron, then in Rapid City, South Dakota. Shirley kept busy making quilts and gardening. Reading and family history and genealogy were of special interest. In 2010, following cataract surgery, Shirley suffered a stroke. The effects of the stroke robbed Shirley of memory and speech. She spent the last of her years in Memory Care in Chadron, then in Scottsbluff where she passed away on March 15, 2015. She is preceded in death by her husband, Rudolph; Brothers Gerald, Clifford, and baby boy Nowlan; Sister, Dorothy; Son in Law Ken Millard, and grandson Kristopher. She is survived by her daughter Karen Millard of Winter Springs, Florida; Son, Monty (Susan) Ahrens of Gering, Nebraska; Son, Tim (Carol) Ahrens of East Pembroke, New York; Daughter, Betty (Larry) Reed of St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren; Brothers, William "Bill" Nowlan and Gary Nowlan; Sister, Dee (Dan) Duff and Best friend and sister-in-law Lila Ahrens of Hemingford, Nebraska. A memorial has been established for Our Savior's Lutheran Church or the Donor's Choice. Donations may be sent to Chamberlain Chapel, PO Box 970, Chadron, NE 69337. �½�½

Service:

Thursday, March 19, 2015 ~ 10:00 AM

Our Savior's Lutheran Church ~ Chadron, Nebraska