Shirley Mae Suggett was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on March 30, 1931, to Charles Edgar Suggett and Margaret Marie Gephart Suggett. She was the first of their three children. She attended school in Oskaloosa, graduating in 1949. Due to her father's early death, she worked many hours while still in high school to ensure the family stayed together. Many of her hours were spent at Mahaska County Hospital in the kitchen both before and after school.
Following her graduation from high school, she worked for an attorney--Howard Beech--and then started to work at Ideal Manufacturing (Clow) in a secretarial position. In 1950, she met and married Joseph Warren Porter and moved to the family farm just north of New Sharon.
After a number of miscarriages, she gave birth to Joseph Michael Porter (May 8, 1959-October 2, 2010) and Kimberly K. Porter (April 3, 1962). Her joy was her children and she participated in a significant number of their school and extracurricular activities: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, vacation Bible school, class field trips, etc.
In her limited leisure hours, she enjoyed her friends, her family, reading (particularly mysteries) and participating in church activities. She was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church. She loved cats and always enjoyed watching baby animals on the farm.
As a farm wife, she worked in the fields, as well as with livestock, particularly sheep. She tended to a large garden every year, canning prodigious quantities of vegetables, fruit, jellies and jams. She also canned beef.
Through her mother-in-law and father-in-law's final illnesses, she took exceptional care of them in her home: preparing special meals, visiting with them, doing lots of laundry, emptying bedpans, and cleaning up after them.
In her early 70s her health began to fail with a series of minor strokes, macular degeneration, a couple of heart attacks and then gall bladder problems. The gall bladder problems ultimately turned out to be cancer which she chose to quit fighting. She died at Comfort House in Pella, Iowa, at 12:15 p.m., April 25, 2005, with her husband and daughter at her side.
She was buried three days later in Highland Cemetery, New Sharon, Iowa, following services at the First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell, Iowa.
She was preceeded in death by her parents, and one brother, James W. Suggett. She was survived by her husband, her two children, a daughter-in-law, and her sister, Beverly Suggett.
May God bless her memory.
Following her graduation from high school, she worked for an attorney--Howard Beech--and then started to work at Ideal Manufacturing (Clow) in a secretarial position. In 1950, she met and married Joseph Warren Porter and moved to the family farm just north of New Sharon.
After a number of miscarriages, she gave birth to Joseph Michael Porter (May 8, 1959-October 2, 2010) and Kimberly K. Porter (April 3, 1962). Her joy was her children and she participated in a significant number of their school and extracurricular activities: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, vacation Bible school, class field trips, etc.
In her limited leisure hours, she enjoyed her friends, her family, reading (particularly mysteries) and participating in church activities. She was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church. She loved cats and always enjoyed watching baby animals on the farm.
As a farm wife, she worked in the fields, as well as with livestock, particularly sheep. She tended to a large garden every year, canning prodigious quantities of vegetables, fruit, jellies and jams. She also canned beef.
Through her mother-in-law and father-in-law's final illnesses, she took exceptional care of them in her home: preparing special meals, visiting with them, doing lots of laundry, emptying bedpans, and cleaning up after them.
In her early 70s her health began to fail with a series of minor strokes, macular degeneration, a couple of heart attacks and then gall bladder problems. The gall bladder problems ultimately turned out to be cancer which she chose to quit fighting. She died at Comfort House in Pella, Iowa, at 12:15 p.m., April 25, 2005, with her husband and daughter at her side.
She was buried three days later in Highland Cemetery, New Sharon, Iowa, following services at the First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell, Iowa.
She was preceeded in death by her parents, and one brother, James W. Suggett. She was survived by her husband, her two children, a daughter-in-law, and her sister, Beverly Suggett.
May God bless her memory.
Shirley Mae Suggett was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on March 30, 1931, to Charles Edgar Suggett and Margaret Marie Gephart Suggett. She was the first of their three children. She attended school in Oskaloosa, graduating in 1949. Due to her father's early death, she worked many hours while still in high school to ensure the family stayed together. Many of her hours were spent at Mahaska County Hospital in the kitchen both before and after school.
Following her graduation from high school, she worked for an attorney--Howard Beech--and then started to work at Ideal Manufacturing (Clow) in a secretarial position. In 1950, she met and married Joseph Warren Porter and moved to the family farm just north of New Sharon.
After a number of miscarriages, she gave birth to Joseph Michael Porter (May 8, 1959-October 2, 2010) and Kimberly K. Porter (April 3, 1962). Her joy was her children and she participated in a significant number of their school and extracurricular activities: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, vacation Bible school, class field trips, etc.
In her limited leisure hours, she enjoyed her friends, her family, reading (particularly mysteries) and participating in church activities. She was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church. She loved cats and always enjoyed watching baby animals on the farm.
As a farm wife, she worked in the fields, as well as with livestock, particularly sheep. She tended to a large garden every year, canning prodigious quantities of vegetables, fruit, jellies and jams. She also canned beef.
Through her mother-in-law and father-in-law's final illnesses, she took exceptional care of them in her home: preparing special meals, visiting with them, doing lots of laundry, emptying bedpans, and cleaning up after them.
In her early 70s her health began to fail with a series of minor strokes, macular degeneration, a couple of heart attacks and then gall bladder problems. The gall bladder problems ultimately turned out to be cancer which she chose to quit fighting. She died at Comfort House in Pella, Iowa, at 12:15 p.m., April 25, 2005, with her husband and daughter at her side.
She was buried three days later in Highland Cemetery, New Sharon, Iowa, following services at the First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell, Iowa.
She was preceeded in death by her parents, and one brother, James W. Suggett. She was survived by her husband, her two children, a daughter-in-law, and her sister, Beverly Suggett.
May God bless her memory.
Following her graduation from high school, she worked for an attorney--Howard Beech--and then started to work at Ideal Manufacturing (Clow) in a secretarial position. In 1950, she met and married Joseph Warren Porter and moved to the family farm just north of New Sharon.
After a number of miscarriages, she gave birth to Joseph Michael Porter (May 8, 1959-October 2, 2010) and Kimberly K. Porter (April 3, 1962). Her joy was her children and she participated in a significant number of their school and extracurricular activities: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, vacation Bible school, class field trips, etc.
In her limited leisure hours, she enjoyed her friends, her family, reading (particularly mysteries) and participating in church activities. She was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church. She loved cats and always enjoyed watching baby animals on the farm.
As a farm wife, she worked in the fields, as well as with livestock, particularly sheep. She tended to a large garden every year, canning prodigious quantities of vegetables, fruit, jellies and jams. She also canned beef.
Through her mother-in-law and father-in-law's final illnesses, she took exceptional care of them in her home: preparing special meals, visiting with them, doing lots of laundry, emptying bedpans, and cleaning up after them.
In her early 70s her health began to fail with a series of minor strokes, macular degeneration, a couple of heart attacks and then gall bladder problems. The gall bladder problems ultimately turned out to be cancer which she chose to quit fighting. She died at Comfort House in Pella, Iowa, at 12:15 p.m., April 25, 2005, with her husband and daughter at her side.
She was buried three days later in Highland Cemetery, New Sharon, Iowa, following services at the First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell, Iowa.
She was preceeded in death by her parents, and one brother, James W. Suggett. She was survived by her husband, her two children, a daughter-in-law, and her sister, Beverly Suggett.
May God bless her memory.
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