Shirley Ann Mccartney

Shirley Ann McCartney

May 22, 1940 - August 11, 2014

Shirley was born to Lawrence and Vivian Yoho at Yates Center, Kansas. The Yoho family lived near Leroy, where she and sister Sharon had a playful childhood on their parents busy farm. Shirley especially enjoyed working with the farm's poultry. She graduated from Leroy High School in 1958.

Shirley married Robert Nurnberg of Emporia just before Christmas 1960. Together they raised four happy children; Rosalie, Richard, Arlene, and Debra. They enjoyed living in several Kansas towns and moved first to Salina, Great Bend and later Emporia.

After high school, Shirley worked at Hallmark Cards and later, Southwestern Bell. In marriage, she and Robert were partners in successful operation of the Emporia APCO gas and car service station. During this time she and her young daughters also operated the area's rural route for the Kansas City Star newspaper. She retired in 1997 from the State of Kansas, Department of Motor Vehicles Kansas City office. Shirley was a member of Town and Country Christian Church in Topeka and a lifetime member of First Christian Church in Leroy.

Her favorite hobbies were cooking and clothing design. Sewing colorful wear for the family was her long cherished hobby. She often carried her Singer sewing machine on visits to her children's homes. At times she wrote poems inspired by growing insights on life. Her least favorite undertaking was housework. She gladly turned chores over to her daughters and at times even Richard. She greatly enjoyed all her children as their mother. In her later years, she enjoyed card games with neighbors and friends and could be found at local ice cream shops.

She is survived by her sister Sharon Shipley and her husband Ron, Emporia, and their two children Greg and Dallas. Shirley is survived by her children Rosalie, Richard and Debra Nurnberg, Arlene Moran and her husband Bill, and grandchild Crystal. Her great-grandchildren are Destyne, Faith and DaeBrionna. Marcus a grandson died in 1993. Shirley and Robert agreed to part marriage in 1980 and remained friends. He and his wife Sharon also survive in Emporia.

Shirley enjoyed her extended family. After marriage, adventures in genealogy led her to the surname "McCartney," from her father's family tree. With the toll of her final illness, Shirley headed onward to new adventures with the beautiful spirits who preceded her. She will be dearly missed.

A family service will be held Saturday August 23 at 10 am in the Town and County Christian Church, Topeka. The family asks that instead of flowers, any contributions may be donated to the Town and Country Christian Church or Midland Hospice in Topeka. Inurnment will be at Crandall Cemetery, Leroy, Kansas.