Shirley Franzen

August 7, 1932 – January 24, 2019

Shirley (Zabel) Franzen passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family, on January 24, 2019 at the age of 86. Shirley will be lovingly remembered by: her sons Steven Franzen and Mark Franzen, her daughter Lynette Galbreth, her daughter-in-law Patricia Franzen, her brothers Harold Zabel and Wiley Zabel, her sisters Karen Ronnfeldt and Marlene Zabel, and many nieces and nephews on the Zabel and Franzen sides. She also will be forever cherished by: her grandchildren Chad Franzen, Mark W. Franzen, Michelle Christopher and her husband Grant, Kyle Franzen, and Natasha Reneau. She dearly loved her great-grandchildren Karlee and Tristan Christopher and Dax Franzen. She is pre-deceased by her husband William (Bill) Franzen, parents Walter and Maxine Zabel, sister Edna Dennis and her husband Charles, and sisters-in-law Mary Ann Zabel and Sharon Zabel.

Shirley grew up on her family’s farm near Johnson, Nebraska, from a young age helping to care for gardens, chickens and other livestock, and by age ten was driving the tractor and other farm equipment to help plant, tend, and harvest crops. She loved being outdoors and always said that working with the cattle was her favorite farm job. As the oldest of six children she assisted her mother to care for her younger siblings. As a child in the harsh Nebraska winters she would ride her pony Daisy to attend the one-room, all-grades country school. She graduated at age 16, attended Peru Teacher’s College for a period, and then taught all grades at a country school in Johnson County, near Tecumseh, Nebraska.

She married Bill Franzen on August 23, 1953 and they made their home in Denver, Colorado. Shirley always worked while raising three active children, first providing home daycare for other working mothers, then once her children were school age, at Genuine Parts Company and Gates Rubber Company. She somehow also found time to bake treats for school parties and attend her children’s sporting events. In her 40’s she returned to college, earned a degree in Accounting, and subsequently really enjoyed working as a loan officer at the Denver Employees Credit Union until her retirement in 1995. She considered it one of her best accomplishments to have helped many people obtain the loans they needed to improve their lives. For one example, her guidance enabled a family with limited resources to be able to travel to proudly attend their son’s graduation from West Point.

A lifelong member of the Lutheran faith, Shirley was active in Denver’s St. Luke’s Lutheran church for many decades and was most recently a member of St. Paul Lutheran church in Lakewood. Doing for others was a core value for her; she felt it important to make significant contributions of her time and skills, so she filled many roles over the years for her church community. She also served as an officer in associations for her home community in Hunter’s Glenn in Thornton, Colorado, volunteered as a voter registrar and election worker, and over the years was a member of and worked on behalf of several Colorado and Adams County quilting organizations. She had a passion for sewing, making quality clothes and costumes for her children and grandchildren, and creating many, many beautiful quilts, most of which she gave to loved ones and others. Several of Shirley’s relatives are blessed to have her quilts. All of her grandchildren and numerous others were gifted stunning high school graduation quilts she crafted for them, and any new baby born to a member of her church received a quilt she made. Her quilts have been shown in the Denver capitol building and have won prizes at county and community shows. Shirley met, made, and treasured many friends through her quilting activities, always being a member of one or another group doing needlework together.

Shirley also was an accomplished baker, often making German Potato Bread dough from her family’s 100+ year-old recipe, which she delivered as delicious loaves, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, “kraut-b-dokes,” bread twists, and even pizza! She always made a very large batch and was locally famous amongst her children’s friends for years in the 1970’s when baking day meant the house would somehow become full of teenagers ready to help eat cinnamon rolls. In later years Shirley switched to baking her favorite zucchini bread recipe, storing enough in her freezer to hand out to friends, service people, and others she encountered, “just because.” Shirley was routinely kind and interested in friends and strangers alike. All of her family members have memories of often being somewhere with her when she would initiate a friendly conversation with a stranger and really listen in a caring way, to what they had to say.

She dearly loved her lakeside home in Hunter’s Glenn, from which she reveled in watching the wildlife, especially the activities of the Canadian geese in their seasonal migrations over the years. She enjoyed noticing the new baby ducks and bunnies each spring.

Shirley quietly and masterfully demonstrated for all of us a lifelong example of grace, integrity, patience, tolerance, and love. Those who knew her will be forever grateful for all of the unique blessings she bestowed upon our lives.

Shirley’s family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff of the Halcyon Hospice organization for their wonderful care and support during Shirley’s last four weeks of life, as well as to the many family and friends who provided genuine care and aid.

A Celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 12 noon, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2470 Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, Colorado, 80214.

( www.denverlutheran.com )

Inurnment will occur at a later date in a private family ceremony at Olinger Highland Cemetery in Thornton, Colorado.

Shirley has requested that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in her name, to St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2470 Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, Colorado, 80214.

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