One of six children of Fred and Agatha Senn, Shirley was born and raised on her parents’ small farm near Mott in southwestern North Dakota. She attended grade school in a rural, one-room schoolhouse. Upon returning home each day after school, Shirley would take up her daily farm chores, which included feeding the chickens and milking the cows.
After graduating from Mott High School, Shirley attended and graduated from Dickinson State University, earning a certificate in Elementary Education. She soon thereafter married her high school sweetheart and husband of 60 years, Kent Hardmeyer.
The young couple lived in ND, Maryland and Wyoming, and in the early 1970s, the family moved to Cranbury, New Jersey, and eventually settled in Newton, where Shirley resided until her passing.
After raising her three children, Kory, Erin, and Jill, Shirley returned to teaching, and taught briefly at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Newton, and later was a long-time substitute teacher for the Newton school system. She was a ‘no nonsense’ type who was respected and well-regarded, especially by the students of Newton High School.
Shirley enjoyed reading and traveling, and she and Kent journeyed far and wide, visiting all 50 states and several foreign countries. Among her other hobbies, she loved gardening, and maintained a beautiful backyard flower garden.
Shirley is survived by her loving husband Kent; son Kory and his wife Karen (Moline), granddaughters Kaitlyn, Lindsey and Audrey; son Erin; and daughter Jill Yanez and her husband Marc.
In Shirley’s later years, as she faced her terminal illness, she showed tremendous resolve and resiliency, and was greatly admired for her inner strength. As her condition progressed, she was lovingly cared for by her husband and her much loved caretaker, Aranza Llano Arroyo.
Shirley is also survived by brother Fred Senn and wife Diane of Mott, ND; brother Roger Senn and Bernice also of Mott; and sister Eileen Schneider of Bismarck ND.
She was preceded in death by sister Marlene Gigante and brother Richard Senn.
A memorial visitation for Shirley will take place on Thursday, June 13, 2024 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm at Smith-McCracken Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Huntington’s disease Society of America, 505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 902, New York, NY 10018.
