Shirley Lee Bebensee

Shirley was born October 15, 1942 in Roseau, MN to Acquina Stevens Otto and Ernest Otto. Nine months later, Acquina fell gravely ill following surgery and passed away just shy of her 20th birthday. At that time, Ernest was in military service in the Army, so Shirley lived with her Grandma Mae Stevens for two years until her father returned from the war. On her third birthday, her father married her second mother, Phyllis Dahl. Phyllis and Ernest settled in Warroad and Shirley began her new role of big sister to 10 brothers and sisters. The family moved frequently and when Shirley was in 9th grade, the family moved to Fairfax. However, when the family moved again, Shirley stayed with the Lehar family in Fairfax until her graduation.

Following high school, Shirley entered the Swedish Hospital of Nursing where she became a Registered Nurse. Two days after graduating from nursing school, Shirley married Arland Bebensee of Lake Benton, MN. Daughters, Pamela and Paula, were welcomed in the years that followed. Shirley worked as a nurse in the Ivanhoe, MN hospital and the local clinic. The family lived on a number of farms in the Lincoln County area and could often be found horseback riding or playing cards with Grandpa and Grandma Bebensee.

In 1976, the family moved to Hutchinson, MN where Shirley worked for Hutchinson Community Hospital. While in Hutchinson, Shirley earned a certification as an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) license and would go on to earn her BS in Nursing from Augsburg College in 1988. In the 1990’s, she was influential in convincing the Minnesota Legislature to allow ANP’s to administer prescription medications. For several years, Shirley worked in rural Minnesota as an ANP for Hutchinson hospitals' satellite clinics.

After her divorce in 1992, Shirley moved to White Bear Lake, MN where she worked for HealthPartners as an ANP for over 20 years with a focus on women’s health. In Shirley, her patients would find a dedicated provider who would actively listen to their concerns. In total, Shirley worked in medicine for 45 years of her life. During these years, Shirley had a busy and active lifestyle enjoying scrapbooking, running (she finished 5 marathons), biking, scuba diving, gardening, quilting, and spending time with grandchildren.

On December 18, 2004 Shirley married Michael Christian in St. Paul, MN and would share close to 20 years of marriage until he passed away in 2024. They enjoyed photography together and spent several years remodeling their “cabin” in McGregor, MN. They moved to Shoreview Senior Assisted Living in Shoreview, MN in 2021.

Shirley is preceded in death by her husband, Michael Christian; her mother, Acquina; her father, Ernest; her second mom, Phyllis; and her siblings, Gary, Timmie, Debbie, Bonnie, Janice and Sheldon.

She is survived by her daughters, Pam (Tom) Payne of Dayton, MN and Paula (Curt) Graff of Amery, WI; and step-children, Kim (Michael) Johnson of Apex, NC, Stephanie (Joseph) Madsen of Westminster, MD, and David Christian of Brooklyn, NY. She is also survived by her siblings, Larry Otto, Beany (Diane) Otto, Cal (Julie) Otto, Minetta (Ed) Kraynyk, and sister-in-law Susan Cencich. Shirley was a proud grandmother to Ishaka, Justin, Jeff, Jayson, Mikayla, Sofi, Sami, Kirby, Andrew, Juliana, Wyatt, six great grandchildren, and Michael's five grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 7th, 2026 at Wulff Funeral Home, 1485 White Bear Ave, St. Paul at 11:00am. A visitation will begin at 10:00am.

Inurnment to occur at a later date in Warroad, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be designated to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the American Cancer Society.