Shirley Velkoff

Shirley Kathleen Piehl Velkoff was born in Independence, Iowa on October 18, 1926, to Clarence Piehl and Grace Hanlon Piehl. She attended Catholic schools through the eighth grade, and then graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa in 1944.

Following vocational training at secretarial school, she moved to Dayton, Ohio when she was 17 years old. Shirley worked at Wright Field (later, renamed Wright Patterson Air Force Base). While there, she worked as a secretary on a variety of projects ranging from the Manhattan Project to recording transcripts for German prisoners of war following World War II. It was during this time that she met Henry René Velkoff. They married in 1950. They raised three children, Thomas Gerald Velkoff, Theodore James Velkoff, and Renée Kathleen Velkoff. Upon Henry’s earning of a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, the family moved to Worthington, Ohio in 1963. Shirley was a homemaker during this time.

In 1970, Shirley and Henry divorced. This was a challenging time period in Shirley‘s life. Women had very few opportunities to be independent. She had to fight to get financial credit. She began working for a health insurance company, working in the claims department. By the late 1970s, she had worked her way up to becoming an executive secretary for the president of the company. Shirley broke many barriers that had been placed in front of working women during this time. She also bought her own condo. Retiring in 1985, Shirley did part time secretarial work, and enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

By 2007, she had moved to The Forum at Knightsbridge in northwest Columbus. It was there that she received excellent care for over twelve years. We are forever grateful to the staff of the Forum and Wesley Hospice for providing her with such a wonderful quality of life in her last years. Shirley is survived by her three children, six grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.