Braun, Shirley J. Age 80 of Richfield.
Shirley touched a multitude of hearts and was a second mom to many many people. In recent years when knee pain affected her ability to get out of the house, she still connected with people everywhere with kind notes in the mail. Not only did it seem like she added to the Current Company's bottom line, more importantly she seemed to know the right time people needed a little pick-me-up in the mail.
Shirley worked in the Richfield Schools for almost 30 years, making many friends of staff and students alike. Shirley's family shared her with many people, and Shirley's heart was always big enough for everyone. Shirley had a number of roles in the school system over the years starting in the mid 1970s as one of the "playground ladies" at Elliott Elementary. Shirley also worked at Richfield Intermediate and finally Centennial Elementary where she worked in the lunchroom, helped as a teacher's aide in Special Ed and an administrative assistant in the school office. Shirley was more than the "playground lady" or "lunchroom lady". She was the woman with a big smile and a big hug for all the kids. She was the ears to sit and listen to kids read aloud when no one at home would listen. She asked how kids were and really cared to know the answer.
Shirley was the neighborhood mom to everyone. The neighbor kids and her children's friends always knew they were welcome in her home and they also knew there'd likely be fresh cookies, brownies or other goodies in the kitchen to share. They knew they could talk to Shirley about what was bothering them and she'd listen.
Shirley was born on the family farm in Morgan, MN May 28, 1938, joining three brothers, Glen, Bob and Jerry and three sisters Lillian, Jeanette and Fayette. Her "baby sister" LaVonne would arrive two years later. Around 1941, Shirley's family moved from Morgan to a farm just south of the north central Minnesota town of Bertha. Shirley attended school in Bertha, riding the school bus with her older siblings. She told of how in the winter, the road often wasn't plowed right away so they'd have to walk to the highway to catch the schoolbus, or her dad would hitch the horses up to the sleigh to take them to the highway. Spring meant muddy roads, more than once her dad had to get the horses to help the schoolbus which was stuck in the ditch. Sometime in the mid 1940s, fire claimed several farm outbuildings, including the old corncrib the kids used as a playhouse. All their toys were lost save a couple dolls and some doll clothes. Shirley learned to deal with adversity. She saw many changes in farm life. In the 1940s, her father transitioned from horses for farm work to tractors. Around the same time the coming of the rural electric cooperative brought electricity to the farm. Indoor plumbing wouldn't come to the farm until the 1960s and she had already left for the Cities. Shirley's mom had a strict rule about no pets or animals in the house, they belonged outdoors or in the barn. It didn't stop her and her sisters LaVonne and Fayette from trying to smuggle little piglets and lambs into the house under their coats anyway, much to their mom's chagrin. Farming during the war years meant tight budgets. Shirley's mom was a skilled seamstress, the Zaske girls always had beautiful hand made dresses to wear. In a bit of an irony, the Zaske girls were always jealous of the town girls who had store bought clothes, while the town girls were jealous of them for the beautiful hand made clothes they wore.
Moving to the Cities after graduation, she worked as a bookeeper at the Chicago Lake Bank. Sid Hartman and Calvin Griffith were customers of the bank and personal friends of the bank president. As a result, she often got to use complimentary tickets to Twins games. In 1960 Shirley married her husband of 58 years, Bernard (Bernie). Her son Jeffrey arrived in 1965 and she became a stay at home mom, leaving her job at the bank. Jeff kept her busy, being a lot like herself as a child, always getting into some sort of mischief. Her daughter Susan (Sue) arrived in 1969. Around 1977, Shirley decided to go back to work part time and took a job with the Richfield Public schools as playground aid at Elliott Elementary. Shirley retired from the school system in the early 2000s, around 2003.
Shirley was a big sports fan and was a cheerleader at her highschool. The team mascot was the Bertha Bears. She loved watching the boys and girls high school basketball tournaments. Shirley was first a Brooklyn (later LA) Dodgers fan, second a Twins fan. The great rivalry with her sister LaVonne was over baseball. LaVonne is a staunch Yankees fan (and Twins). More than a few arguments were had regarding which team was better, Dodgers or Yankees. Shirley also loved watching the Vikings as well as MN Gopher football. Shirley attended many Gopher home games at the old Memorial Stadium. She's known for getting tipsy Iowa and Wisconsin fans to cheer for the Gophers more often than not. How fitting the Dodgers are in the World Series, but playing Boston, not the Yankees.
A book could be written about Shirley's life, some of the many things she taught everyone over the years include:
* Be kind – there’s enough hate in the world
* Don’t be afraid to love others. Your heart is bigger than you think, there’s room enough for everyone.
* Always do the best you can. The most anyone can expect from you is for you to do your best.
* Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself. No matter how hard the challenge you’re facing is, there’s always others facing a harder challenge.
* The only way to get ahead in life, is to push or pull others ahead first. Help others find their strengths.
* Listen more than you talk. Anyone can talk, few people really listen.
* Have faith, faith in God, faith in others. When you trust God and have faith in others, you’ll be surprised what can happen.
* Always seek adventure. Some of the best adventures may lead to the emergency room and leave a scar, but never be afraid to seek adventure.
* Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from trying new things or doing something others think you can’t do. The only time you really fail in life, is when you fail to try.
* Don’t loan friends money. Instead, give it to them if they need it because that’s what friends do for each other.
* Fresh chocolate chip cookies can fix almost anything – but hugs fix everything.
* Smiles and hugs are gifts you hope are returned.
* Don’t forget to laugh, laugh at yourself, make others laugh.
* You can’t have a bad day if you watch an episode or two of Curious George on PBS.
* Don’t stop asking questions or learning new things.
* It’s ok to question authority when seeking justice outweighs following the rules.
* Don’t get so busy you don’t see God’s beauty around you, flowers, birds, wildlife, beautiful vistas, laughing children, rainbows, sunsets.
* Help others always and remember, sometimes you’ll need help yourself, it’s okay.
* Say please and thank you, especially thank you.
* You can’t go wrong sending people fun notes in the mail. Even in the days of social media, texting and email, everyone likes a surprise in the mail.
* People come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders and faiths. They all deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity.
* You can’t go wrong having a hobby or even better – many hobbies. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing the best you can.
* Dogs, cats and other pets and animals belong outside, not in the house, but sometimes you can try sneaking little piglets and lambs in under your coat until your mom figures it out.
Shirley was a tough, farm woman with a warm heart. Everyone loves her dearly. Shirley is survived by her husband of 58 years, Bernard; children, Jeffrey, Susan (Ron) Goedken; siblings, Gerald (Donna) Zaske, LaVonne Drayna, Fayette (Dick) Kovar, Jeannette Zaske, Lillian Swenson, Robert (Margarita) Zaske.
A Memorial service will be held 4pm, Sunday, October 28th at Living Spirit United Methodist Church, 4501 Bloomington Ave. S. Visitation one hour before service.
Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers to Living Spirit United Methodist Church, 4501 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407 or Gopher State Railway Museum, PO Box 125, New Prague, MN 56071.
Morris Nilsen Chapel 612 869-3226 morrisnlsen.com