Shirley Nadine Thiessen

Funeral services for Shirley Nadine Thiessen will be held on Thursday, December 7th, 2017 at Go Ye Village Chapel with Visitation being held from 1:00 PM until 2:00 Pm and then services from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM with Chaplain Paul Tavener officiating. Her final resting place will be the Tahlequah City Cemetery. Online condolences for her family may be left at www.reedculver.com.

Shirley Nadine Leutzinger Thiessen was born on August 6th 1931, in Hematite, MO. She was the daughter of Raymond Archie and Pauline (Shoemaker) Leutzinger. She joined a family of two brothers, Lloyd and Raymond, and four sisters, Virginia, Dorothy,Norma and Glenda. At the age of 11, the family moved to St. Ann, MO, a suburb of St. Louis. In high school , she dedicated her life to the Lord at the Fee Fee Baptist Church and elected to serve Him all the days of her life. She graduated high school and went to work as an Illustrator, making service manuals for the first money changers. She was living with a number of the Navigator Girls, and it was here she learned to study the Bible. In 1961, she entered into the Northwest Bible College, later to become the Calvary Bible College, and graduated in 1964. She loved her “practical Work” assignments, teaching neighborhood children Evangelism classes, all boys, all professing Christ as their personal Savior, and also led a lady of the evening to the Lord later in the summer. She then transferred to the Rio Grande Bible Institute to study Spanish. Shirley traveled to Columbia. South America, as an artist with GMU, in a print shop. Her health was frail, and she was advised to return to the USA, and returned to GMU, redesigning their magazine, designing prayer cards, and other art related work. She would meet and marry the love of her life, Fredrick Thiessen and marry in Brentwood, MO. They tried returning to South America but Shirley’s health would not permit her to stay. They relocated and settled in Kansas City, MO, where she used her many talents and made a feeble house a home and taught numerous Sunday School classes which were always a joy for Shirley. Shirley was a woman of many talents, she loved gardening, raising beautiful vegetables and flowers, especially anything miniature in size. She absolutely loved teaching children, it was her calling. She was strong willed, yet always polite and kind in getting her point across. She possessed a delightful sense of humor. During her engagement and pending marriage to Fred, she commented to him on day he hadn’t actually asked her to marry him. So, Fred obliged and asked her to be his bride. She commented, “why should I marry you?” Shirley often told people she was going to South America as the assistant to the Maintenance Man! They were not only married, but each others best friend. In the early 80’s, her father came to live with the family, and following his passing, Shirley and Fred moved to Tahlequah to live at Go Ye Village. Shirley and Fred enjoyed their time at Go Ye Village, yet Shirley always lamented not being able to evangelize more. Her health began to fail her and Shirley moved to the Village Health Center in 2016. Fred was able to care for his beloved Shirley until the Lord called this good and faithful servant home from her labors on December 2nd, 2017 in Go Ye Village with Fred by her side. She was 86 years old. She will be greatly missed for her servants heart and he wisdom.

Shirley has gone home to join her mother and father, her brother, Raymond Leutzinger, and her two sisters, Dorothy Parker and Norma Rogers.

She is survived by her husband, Fred, of the home in Tahlequah, and her brother, Lloyd Leutzinger and wife Esther of Interlachen, FL, her sisters, Virginia Etherton and husband Bob of Ballwin, MO, and Glenda Dixon of St. Peters, MO. She also leaves many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends , loved ones, prayer partners, and souls brought to the Lord by her faith.