Sears, Shirley Swartzendruber (1931-2009)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2009 May 18 p. 9

Birth date: 1931 Oct 31

text of obituary:

SHIRLEY SEARS

Shirley (Swartzendruber) Sears, 77, died of a massive stroke on Feb. 21, 2009, in Sarasota, Fla. She was born Oct. 31, 1931, to Herb and Fern Miller Swartzendruber.

She grew up in Hopedale, Ill., and graduated from Polo High School in northern Illinois. She attended Goshen (Ind.) College.

She married Wilmer Sears on March 10, 1957, at Willow Springs Mennonite Church.

She was an active member of Willow Springs Church, teaching young children and helping at the community Bible school. She was devotional leader for Mennonite Women and pieced many quilt tops for Mennonite Central Committee and the MCC relief sale.

She was an active member of the Gideons and visited women in jail. She is remembered for her work with 4-H clubs teaching cooking, sewing and quilting. She worked as office manager at Prairie View Nursing Home for about 30 years.

She collected family history books and made scrapbooks of many family events. She updated the computer family genealogies. She and Wilmer worked as hosts at Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center, where she was secretary of the executive committee for many years.

Survivors include her husband, Wilmer, of Tiskilwa, Ill.; two brothers, David Swartzendruber and his wife, Judy, and Bill Swartzendruber and his wife, Jan; two sisters, Donna Wirges and her husband, Bill, and Nancy Cranfill and her husband, Paul; and a sister-in-law, Donna Swartzendruber.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Duane Swartzendruber; and a nephew Bill Sears.

Memorial services were held at Bay Shore Church in Sarasota and Willow Springs Mennonite Church at Tiskilwa, Ill. Burial was held at Willow Springs Church Cemetery.