Shirley A. Marolf

A funeral service to honor her memory will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 12 pm at the Runge Mortuary & Crematory. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A private family burial will be held at the Rock Island National Cemetery. Memorials may be made to King’s Harvest Pet Rescue or WVIK Quad Cities National Public Radio Station, Rock Island, IL.

Shirley Ann Haertel was born on January 13, 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois. The family soon thereafter moved to Elmwood Park where she grew up. She was the first of Herbert and Helen (Engbrecht) Haertel’s three children. She had a sister, Joan, and has a younger brother, Bob. Shirley attended Concordia Lutheran High School and Teachers College in River Forest, IL. During these years of study, she also had a very special part-time job, which she recounted very often, well into her 90’s. She remembered taking daily walks across five sets of train tracks, taking the Elevated downtown to Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, where she worked as a personal shopper at Marshall Field’s Department Store. Despite her Alzheimer’s progression, this memory was always fresh in her mind and on the tip of her tongue. She loved the big city and attended many musical and cultural events in Chicago. As life progressed, she would return often for family trips and visits.

Shirley also had a great love for children and even taught 50 first graders (in one class) as her very first teaching assignment! Quite the assignment!

When she met the Korean War Veteran and commercial artist, Arnold Marolf, who happened to be the brother-in-law of her pastor in Dundee, Illinois, Rev. E.H. Happel, something very special developed. Eventually they were married on August 21, 1954, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Dundee. As time progressed, they proceeded to have three daughters, Gail, Karen, and Rachel. After Gail was born, the family moved to Davenport, Iowa, where Shirley was employed as the 5th grade teacher at Trinity Lutheran School. She worked there for nearly 30 years and impacted the lives of hundreds of grateful students and many fellow teachers. She especially loved teaching local history and took her students to many historical sites.

As a Trinity Church member, she was Children’s choir director, piano accompanist for both children and adult choirs, sang in the choir and occasionally sat in for church organist. She accompanied many high school instrumentalists or vocalists for their annual recitals. Shirley played music non-stop at home and loved Broadway musicals and especially classical piano and organ. Her after dinner hours were spent giving piano lessons to dozens of students over the years.

She and Arn always enjoyed their tickets to the Quad City Symphony. The couple loved traveling with their children and friends around the country. They would camp at National Parks & Forests and especially favored the Rocky Mountain states. Shirley also traveled abroad many times to Europe and the Middle East.

One of her greatest loves here on Earth was being with her grandchildren. She threw the best pizza parties for every birthday and loved entertaining family over for the holidays. She followed the grandchildren’s activities faithfully, church, school, music, dance, and sports. She had a generous heart and a crazy, hilarious sense of humor which everyone adored. It seemed like she attended every single athletic event and performance from T-ball to the Little League World Series, from opera and ballet to Junior Olympics, and on and on all the way up through Women’s Collegiate level Volleyball. As she followed her active grandchildren all around the country, many teammates, fellow fans, and coaches appreciated that special energy she brought to every event. Her granddaughters and grandsons could feel the love and support with her every CHEER and Congratulations afterwards.

She followed the Chicago Cubs but loved basketball most of all. The Michael Jordan years proved to be her favorite time for watching the Bulls. She was still watching men’s and women’s collegiate and professional games until she was 93.

As recently as last Christmas, Shirley was still able to play piano at the nursing home and would assist with weekly church services where both Pastor and Fellow residents were pleased and grateful for her willingness to share her skills.

She was one of her Lord’s blessed disciples and was well-loved by her many friends and family members, young and old, near and far. The sparkle and joy that she brought to all in this life and to all she knew, along with her deep love of God and ALL his creations will live on, even as she rises up to greater heights.

Shirley is survived by her three daughters, Gail McCarthy (Chris), Fort Collins, CO, Karen Lambert (Jim), Davenport, Iowa, and Rachel Strader (George), Davenport, Iowa; her grandchildren, Rachel Kennedy, Emily Twiss, Rachel Tjaden (Chris), Sara McCarthy, Tyler Lambert, Cody Lambert, Eliza Chouteau (Michael Tolbert), Carly Chouteau (Seth Durr), Matt Chouteau; and eight great grandchildren with one on the way. She is also survived by her brother, Bob Haertel and his wife, Pat; her sister-in-law, Mel Marolf; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Arn; her parents, Herbert and Helen; her sister, Joan (Ken); and all her husband’s siblings.