Shirley Lucille Surber

Shirley Lucille (Gwinner) Surber of Garden City, MO was born January 11, 1930, the daughter of Harold Edward and Dottie Celetia (Sisk) Gwinner near Garden City, Missouri. She departed this life on Monday, October 18, 2010, at Golden Years Care Center in Harrisonville, MO.
Shirley graduated from Garden City High School in 1947. After graduating, she worked at Wilhite?s General Store in Garden City, MO and at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Kansas City. On December 1, 1949, Shirley was united in marriage to Robert Dean Surber in Calhoun, MO. To this union were born 5 children: Robert, Candice, Richard, Ronald and Rodney. Shortly after marriage, Shirley and Robert moved to a 160 acre farm northwest of Garden City, MO. She and Robert shared in the day to day operations of a livestock and row crop farm while also nurturing her family.
Shirley and Robert were members of the Garden City First Christian Church, and in 1961, they moved their membership to the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Harrisonville, MO. Shirley?s church family and church life were very important to her. She was an active part of the Christian Women?s Fellowship (CWF) at the First Christian Church in Harrisonville for many years. She also served as Cass County CWF President. Shirley served many years as a Sunday School teacher and as the Chi Rho Youth Group sponsor. She was often seen on Sunday mornings in many areas of the sanctuary welcoming visitors, complimenting the choir or musicians and greeting other church members.
Shirley joined her husband, family and friends for many Kansas City Royals opening days at Kauffman Stadium. Shirley enjoyed keeping scrapbooks for each of her children. She was well known and much appreciated for her cooking and baking skills. She was often a blue ribbon winner at the Garden City Fall Festival for her homemade cloverleaf rolls. Many received letters and cards from Shirley over the years including family, friends, church members in the hospital, homebound folk or those just needing a word of encouragement.
Shirley enjoyed vacations to Oklahoma to visit the land on which her father-in-law homesteaded, trips to Boulder, CO to visit his sister-in-law Mary Katheryne, trips visiting cousins in Peoria and Washington, IL, and bus tours to Branson, MO with church family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of over 60 years, Robert Dean Surber, Sr., and her parents.
Shirley is survived by her children Robert, Jr. and wife Debbie of Harrisonville, MO, Candice and husband Bill Brown of Des Moines, IA, Richard of Pleasant Hill, MO, Ronald and wife Denise of Harrisonville, MO, & Rodney and wife Gayla of Lone Jack, MO; two sisters, Dorothy Gough of Raymore, MO and Donna and husband Roy Cooper of Overland Park, KS; 10 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren; other relatives and a host of friends.
Funeral services were held Friday, October 22, 2010 at the First Christian Church, Harrisonville with burial in the Garden City Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church Memorial Fund.