Shirley Schwichtenberg

Shirley Schwichtenberg, age 76, passed away in Bismarck on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 from the effects of lung cancer. Services will be held at 11:30 AM Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church with the Rev. Steve Sathre officiating. Burial will be at the ND Veteran's Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 5-9 PM Thursday at Eastgate Funeral Service and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Shirley lived most of her life in Bismarck having moved here with her family during her grade school years. Shirley Marie Turner was born on April 8, 1929 in Helena, Montana. She was the first of three children born to Walter Lionel and Helen Myrtle Johnson Turner. Shirley graduated from Bismarck High School in 1947 and attended North Dakota State University in Fargo, where she majored in Physical Education and Minored in History. She graduated in 1951 and was the first woman to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education from that school. She married Douglas Lee Schwichtenberg, a long-time friend, on August 2, 1954, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck and taught Physical Education at Bismarck High School until their first child was born. She occasionally served as a substitute teacher when her two children passed beyond elementary school. Upon the children reaching high school age, she again returned to full-time teaching, taking a position at Simle Junior High, where she taught 8th grade U.S. History until her retirement in 1997. She also served as a cheerleading advisor, coached the school's academic team and encouraged several students who excelled at the national level in a scholastic competition for several years. Shirley loved her students and they would come to visit her at home after her retirement. She enjoyed woodcarving and was a member of the Simle and local Retired Teachers' Associations. Shirley also loved plants and had quite a green thumb. Perhaps most special to her was her lake home where she and her family spent most of their "non-winter" weekends. Shirley leaves behind a son, Paul Douglas Schwichtenberg of Bismarck; daughter, Jan Marie Pollock of Portland, OR; two brothers, Robert L. Turner and Ronald K. Turner, both of Bismarck; as well as nieces, nephews and many other loved ones, mostly residing in the local area. The family prefers any memorials be given to the local Abused Adult Resource Center, the Pet Connection and/or any reputable children's charity.

Shirley Schwichtenberg

April 8, 1929 - February 28, 2006