Shirley was born in Davenport to John Emmett and Myrtle (Marti) Hein on January 21, 1928. She graduated from Davenport Central High School in 1946 and attended the University of Iowa where she met the love of her life, Harold “Pen” Sommer. They were married in 1949 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. They then spent the next 68 years together raising four children, supporting local charities and causes in Des Moines, and traveling the world. Shirley will be remembered for her beautiful blue eyes and warm smile. She treated everyone she met with respect and dignity. Her family and friends will miss her dearly.
Shirley and Pen were members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines where they regularly attended 4pm mass on Saturday. She was an active member of Questers and NTW. Shirley was an avid reader who loved to play bridge. She also volunteered extensively with the St. Vincent De Paul Society and was a member of the prayer chain at Sacred Heart.
Shirley is survived by her husband Pen; daughter, Michelle (Gordon) Roskamp from Adel; three sons, Michael (Darlene) from West Des Moines, Nick (Jeanne) from Valparaiso, IN, and Kris (Karen) from Des Moines. She was blessed with six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Gayle and Gayle’s husband, Wayne.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center in Des Moines who treated Shirley with unconditional love and kindness for the past five months.
Visitation will be from 9 to 10:30 am Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church 1627 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines with the funeral mass at 10:30 am. Burial will be at Resthaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Shirley’s memory to Sacred Heart Catholic Church or its St. Vincent De Paul Conference.
