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Shirley Walders

ARMSTRONG — Shirley Walders departed this life on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, at Aspire in Lake Park, Iowa, where she had resided for the last 10 years, at the age of 84. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, at Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in

Armstrong, Iowa, with Pastor Kim Campbell as Officiant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Wednesday at the funeral home in Armstrong. Burial will be in Swea Township Cemetery, rural Swea City, Iowa.

Shirley Ann Walders was born April 4, 1937, on her grandparent’s

farm near Cylinder, Iowa, the daughter of Edwin and Helen (Enger)

Janssen. Shirley graduated from Rodman High School in 1955. She

enjoyed 4-H and basketball during her school years and was even

selected for one of the girls all-state basketball teams in her senior

year. She then attended Iowa State Teachers College, now known as University of Northern Iowa, and received her Bachelor of Arts and

teaching certificate in 1958, completing her college education in

just three years. Shirley taught home economics in the towns of

Westbrook, Minn., Bode, Iowa, Rock Valley, Iowa and in Ringsted,

Iowa, during the course of her teaching career. As a young adult,

Shirley enjoyed traveling the United States with her girlfriends and

her sister Carol. She nearly completed her goal to visit every state. A highlight of her travel adventures was a six-week ”Teachers Tour,” which took her through eight European countries. In addition to

traveling, Shirley was an avid reader and also enjoyed sewing and

gardening. On Nov. 27, 1963, she was united in marriage to Gerald Walders at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Whittemore, Iowa. They

made their home on their farm in rural Armstrong, Iowa. They were married for 40 years, until Gerald’s death in 2003. They had one

daughter, Lori. She was a member of Nazareth Lutheran Church in

Armstrong. Left to cherish Shirley’s memory are her daughter, Lori

(Evan) Walders-Bensley of Lake Park; grandsons, Kyle, Ryan and

Adam Bensley; sisters, Ruth (Darrell) Howieson, Carol Tollefson and

Patricia Thoreson; many cousins, nieces and nephews. She has been preceded in death by her parents; husband; and brother-in-law, Jim Tollefson. Online condolences may be left for Shirley’s family at

henryolsonfuneral.com

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