Shirley Joan Schall

Shirley Joan Schall, age 69, of Kearney, NE, passed away April 5, 2018, at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE, surrounded by her family. Visitation will be Sunday, April 8, 2018, from 1:00 to 7:00 pm with the family greeting friends from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Govier Brothers Mortuary 542 South 9th Ave in Broken Bow, NE. Services will be Monday, April 9, 2018, at 10:30 am at the First United Methodist Church 4500 Linden Drive Kearney, NE with Alan Davis officiating.  Lunch will follow. Burial will be in the Mason City Cemetery at 2:00 pm in Mason City, NE. Shirley was born November 27, 1948, in Broken Bow, NE, to John W. Shaw and Betty L. (Stephens) Shaw.  Shirley was the oldest of six children who grew up near Mason City, NE. On September 2, 1967, she married her high school sweetheart, Larry Schall, in Mason City.  They recently celebrated their 50th Anniversary with their two children, Anthony and Tiffanie, and their families. Shirley earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Kearney State College and spent the majority of her career working as the Director of the Southwest Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium.  Education was always an important part of Shirley’s life.  She served as the Rho State Organization President of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a professional international honor society of women educators.  In addition, through her membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, she co-chaired the annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen essay contests for middle and high school students.  Shirley was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, United Methodist Woman, and the Fort Kearny Genealogy Society. Researching family genealogy was a passion of Shirley’s, and she traveled around the country to gather information and official documents of her ancestors. Shirley is preceded in death by her parents, John and Betty (Stephens) Shaw; in-laws, Melvin and Faye (Cox) Whitehead; her brother, John R. Shaw; and brother-in-law, Dennis Schall. Shirley is survived by her husband Larry Schall of Kearney; her two children, Anthony (Tracy) Schall of Kearney and Tiffanie (Jeff) Faimon of Omaha; six grandchildren, Ryan and Haley Schall and Logan, Bryce, Charlie, and Bo Faimon; sisters, Linda (Bob) Ryan of Litchfield, Marilyn (Cy) Thoene of Ansley, Carol (Al) Sanger of Kearney, Dee Dee Howard  (Mark Zimmer) of Mason City; sister-in-law, Sally Shaw of Dalton; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and close friends.