Dorothea Marguerite Shiner

She was born Dorothea Marguerite on October 11, 1928 in Norman, Oklahoma, the daughter of Dorothea Mary (Bode) Leffler and Benedict Conrad Leffler and the granddaughter of German immigrants, from whom she inherited a no-nonsense attitude, tenacious grit and wry sense of humor. A lifelong Catholic, she was baptized at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Norman and found her spiritual home in St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma.

She met the great love of her life, Ernest Antrim Shiner, when they were both students at the University of Oklahoma, and they married at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Norman in 1947.

Marguerite pressed pause on college while they raised six daughters together: Cynthia Ann Cross, Deborah Kay Shiner, Pamela Jeanne Berryman, Nancy Elaine Emerson, Melinda Sue Shiner, and Andrea Gail Buob, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Never one to give up, she went back to school and earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees at University of Central Oklahoma (then Central State University) in Edmond. She went on to have a successful career as a licensed professional counselor and retired at the age of 59.

She loved to travel, and one of her greatest joys was seeing new sights and exploring exotic locales with her husband. She was always ready for the next adventure, whether it was in their backyard or overseas.

As empty nesters, they dreamed up their forever home together on 80 acres of rolling hills and oak woodland in Arcadia, Oklahoma, where they relished a rural life of gardening, swimming, fishing, riding horses, hiking, and watching sunsets together from their porch. “The Farm” was the extended family hub for years to come, lit up every holiday by food, drink, games, laughter, and grandchildren. They enjoyed five years there together until cancer took Ernest at the age of 61.

She later found companionship with Fred Holloway, and they spent the peak of their retirement years taking their RV across the country. She did not slow down much even in her 80s, traveling to Mexico, Italy, and Peru.

Her last decade was spent in the comfort of her apartment in Edmond, Oklahoma, yet still always on the move, followed by her devoted terrier Lucy. She could often be found attending Jazzercise, volunteering at Samaritan House, and socializing with her friends and family.

She is predeceased by her parents, brothers Edward Benedict Leffler and William Joseph Leffler and sister Mary Catherine Deadman; Marguerite’s husband, Ernest Shiner; her daughter, Nancy Elaine Emerson; and her second husband, Fred Holloway. She is survived by five daughters, their spouses, 12 grandchildren, 5 step-grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, a niece and nephews, and the Holloway family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her honor to Samaritan House in Edmond, Oklahoma.