Shirley Mae Tecca, 73, of Burlington, died at 7:20 p.m. Monday, March 14, 2022, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington.
Born May 4, 1948, in North Dakota, she was the daughter of Jerry and Margaret Kovash Hanel. On Dec. 17, 1976, she married Gary Lee Tecca in Livingston, Mont.
She worked as a waitress and railroad clerk prior to becoming a homemaker.
She was a strong, independent, and occasionally sassy woman. Shirley was a very loving and caring wife and mother who loved animals. She enjoyed to stamp and make cards, and she would host a stamp club at the house where she accrued a very large stamp collection. She loved to travel with her family, and she was never one to pass up a good garage sale. She was a great cook, with some of her family favorites being Cherry Chicken, or her borscht. She and Gary had many friends with classic cars, and they would frequently go on long drives together to get dinner and ultimately always end up somewhere that served ice cream at the end of the night. Shirley was an amazing woman who truly enjoyed life to the fullest.
Survivors include husband, Gary Lee Tecca of Burlington; one daughter, Dawn Newlan of Rosemount, Minn.; three brothers, Alvin (Mickey) Hanel of Oklahoma, Maynard (Bev) Hanel of Burlington, and Arney Hanel of Burlington; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Larry Hanel; and several aunts and uncles.
Cremation has been entrusted to the care of Prugh Crematory.
Per the family's wishes, there will be no visitation or services.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for the American Diabetes Foundation.