Shirley Kuhlman, RN, passed away peacefully on 01/15/2020 at Sunrise at Pinehurst, Denver, Colorado. Born to Danish immigrants in Brush, Colorado, Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, E.V. Kuhlman, cofounder of the Flight-for-Life program, and her son Craig Kuhlman.
Shirley is survived by her children, Carla, Kurt, Kathryn, 7 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. With her kids and grandkids, she enjoyed cooking, baking cookies, as well as gadgets: snow cone makers, waffle makers, and panini makers. Shirley loved sewing and making Halloween and other costumes for herself, family, and friends.
Shirley had a thirst for knowledge, travel and action. In 1947, Shirley graduated as an RN from St. Joseph School of Nursing in Denver, Colorado. She worked at Mt Airy Hospital as the Night Supervisor for 36 years before retiring in 1986. After her retirement, she completed her Bachelors Degree in Business from Regis University. She and her husband then opened and managed a small Central City Casino, the Crystal Carousel for a short time in 1992.
Shirley and her husband travelled to many European countries, visited the Maritime provinces, and visited several states. She served as a docent at a local museum and was active with the Denver Danes. After her husband’s death, Shirley completed mission trips to Puerto Rico and Uganda.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, February 8, 2020 10:30 am at Holy Name Church, 3290 W Milan Ave. Sheridan, Colorado. Reception to follow at Olinger’s Mortuary, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Donations: https://giving.cu.edu/fund/write-fund University of Colorado Foundation. c/o Gift Processing. 10901 W. 120th Ave. #200. Broomfield, CO 80021. Attn: Glaucoma Sleep Lab Biomonitoring, 022894. 720-848-5018.
