Shirley Zahner, of Burlington, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at the age of 76. She was surrounded by her family at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington.
Shirley was born on Jan. 23, 1948, to parents Charles and Marjorie Stafford. Shirley worked for many years as a pharmacy technician at the Burlington Apothecary and Hy-Vee Pharmacy on Angular. She retired in 2013 and spent her free time watching sports, game shows, and every hallmark movie. She was a loyal viewer of Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, $100,000 Pyramid, and several other game shows. She was a fan of both the Iowa Hawkeyes and St. Louis Cardinals. Although she didn’t have a favorite NFL team, she loved watching Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs in recent years. Shirley enjoyed shopping with her granddaughters and went on several shopping trips with friends in her earlier years. Along with her late son Larry, she enjoyed traveling to watch her grandchildren compete in sports.
She donated regularly to the Boys & Girls Club of America, Divine Mercy, and Shriners. She was a member of St. John Catholic Church.
She is survived by her granddaughters, Leah (Matt) Weinreich of Burlington, Paige Zahner (Joshua Marroquin) of Cedar Rapids, and Emily Zahner of Des Moines; her grandsons, Chad (Krystal) Klein of Burlington, Andrew (Kristin) Klein of Fairfax, Coleton, Jacob, and Joshua Zahner of Burlington, Zak Zahner of Cedar Rapids, and Jason, Nick, and Tyler Zahner; several great-granddaughters and great-grandsons, most recently Gabriella Marroquin (Paige & Josh) and Kason Klein (Andrew & Kristin); her stepdaughter Rose Klein of Burlington; her stepson Tim Zahner of Shell Rock; sons David Zahner of Cedar Rapids and Kenneth Zahner of Burlington; along with a host of friends.
Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, her husband, Darrel Zahner, and her son Larry Zahner.
Shirley was a quiet and generous person, often going above and beyond with no expectations of recognition or anything in return. She will be missed deeply by those who were close to her.
According to her wishes cremation has been entrusted to the care of Murphy Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant.