Shirley Elaine Patrick Wilson, 92, of Rochester, passed away peacefully of natural causes on Monday December 21, 2020.
Shirley was born on October 9, 1928 in Worthington, MN to Ross Ivan Patrick and Gladys Wing Patrick. She lived in the Brewster and Worthington areas during her childhood and was loved by many family members including her grandparents, Charles and Hattie May Wing, and many aunts and uncles. She graduated from Worthington High School in 1946 and felt blessed for the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Bible College in Minneapolis following graduation. The highlight of her college experience was singing in the Shirley Sextet – with all six members sharing that first name. The singing group along with a college evangelist traveled to various churches throughout the U.S., sharing their faith and recruiting for the college.
Shirley married Stanford Wilson on September 16, 1949 at the Church of Christ in Worthington, MN. She was the mother of eight children. In addition to raising the children and being a homemaker, she assisted her husband in his veterinary businesses as the family moved from in and around the Worthington area to Preston.
Beyond her family and the many friends she made throughout her life, the legacy that Shirley leaves behind is her great love for music, wonderful sense of humor, creative writing skills and strong faith. She insisted that her children take piano lessons, sing in school and church choirs and play a band instrument. Shirley directed multiple church choirs, wrote and directed award winning plays and talent shows for the Carimona Cruisers 4-H Club and treated family members and friends with original poems she wrote for special occasions. After raising her family and moving to Rochester, Shirley sang in the Zumbro Valley Sweet Adelines women’s barbershop chorus, was employed at the Youth Employment Project Inc., faithfully attended church, adult Sunday School class and water aerobics at the YMCA.
Shirley is survived by six children Susan (Charlie) Olson, Waltham; Charles (Jill) Wilson, Rochester; Nancy (Kevin) Voigt, Preston; Kristin (Todd) Alexander, Mantorville; David (Andrea) Wilson, Rochester; Thomas Wilson, Chanhassen; 15 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren; brother Bill Bieber and two sisters Betty Quiring and Crystal Quiring. She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Stanford Wilson, daughter Sandra Wilson, a son Timothy Wilson and a grandson Joshua Olson.
A celebration of life service will be held at Hope Summit Christian Church in Rochester on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 2:00pm, officiated by Pastor Kevin Blanchard. Due to COVID restrictions, preregistration is required by going to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0449a4ab2aa3f49-memorial
A private burial will be held at a later date in Worthington, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to Hope Summit Christian Church at 1315 6th Ave SE Rochester MN 55904.
Rochester Cremation Services is assisting the family with arrangements. Memories and condolences of Shirley may be shared at rochestercremationservicesmn.com
I WOULD LIKE TO SEND MY SYMPATHY TO THE WILSON FAMILY,I ENJOYED MY TIME I HAD WITH HER. GOOD MEMORIES WITH LADY!
I am sorry we cannot attend. We will sorely miss all the family and the beautiful tributes and music. We will check to see if it is virtual.
We loved Shirley. She was my cousin and from my youth on I can remember her being part of my life. She was extremely talented and I loved to sing with her. I also sang in a choir she directed. She had a keen sense of humor and used music to smooth the way when life got a little testy , as life tends to do! She compiled a family tree for the Wing side plus many other writings. She learned from early on how to be self reliant and it served her well. So long Shirley till we meet in Heaven!
On behalf of the family of Shirley Stewart McNamara we send our sincere condolence. Our mom Shirley was in sextet with Shirley Pat as our mom lovingly called her. I am certain they are belting out together again as our mom Shirley went to be with the Lord November 16, 2020.