Shirley Patricia Aker Van Wyhe , age 93, passed away peacefully at Vintage Park Assisted Living in Baldwin City, Kansas on March 23, 2022. She remained faithful and thankful to the end, frequently saying “The Good Lord knows what He is doing.”
Born August 12, 1928 at Highmoor, South Dakota to Palmer and Selma (Wastun) Aker, Shirley was only 6 years old when her mother died after giving birth. Shirley and her siblings were raised by her loving grandparents, Julius and Sarah Aker. Growing up, Shirley lived in Highmoor, Forestburg, Colton and Mitchell, South Dakota; after graduating from Mitchell High School, she got her teaching certificate and taught all grades in a one-room schoolhouse for two years.
Shirley met Richard William “Bill” VanWyhe at a dance in Colton, and they were married on December 27, 1946. They honeymooned in the Black Hills of South Dakota, after which Bill attended South Dakota State University-Brookings on the GI bill. Their first daughter, Patty, was born while they lived in Brookings. Upon his graduation, Shirley and Bill moved to Seattle, Washington, where Bill worked as an electrical engineer for Boeing, and where their second daughter, Barb, was born. Soon, Boeing transferred Bill to Wichita, Kansas; it was in Wichita where their daughters Billi and Becky were born, and where they happily resided until Bill’s death in 1999.
Shirley was known for her gift of hospitality, from warm cookies out of the oven when the girls came home from school to their annual Christmas Wassail Party. Family meal time was a priority when the girls were home, and Shirley and Bill would host a pheasant feed for friends and coworkers after their yearly hunting trip to South Dakota. Shirley made holiday meals extra special, and as the girls married, the in-laws were always invited to join the VanWyhe family at these festive gatherings.
In addition to their annual pheasant hunting trips, Shirley and Bill enjoyed visits to see family, waterskiing, bowling, bridge, golf, square dancing and traveling. Their faith was very important to them, and they were an integral part of Redeemer Lutheran Church, where Shirley helped prepare and serve meals during catechism classes. After Redeemer Lutheran Church closed, they enjoyed being members of the Risen Savior Lutheran Church Family.
In 2004, Shirley married Don Turgeon; they resided in Wichita until 2019 , at which time they separated in order to live closer to their respective families. Shirley moved to Baldwin City, Kansas. She loved time with family and was always eager to hear how everyone was doing; she found it “just remarkable” how grown up all the grandchildren were and said, with her distinctive laugh, that she “must be getting old!” Many of Shirley’s caregivers in Wichita and Baldwin City shared with the family how sweet and hospitable Shirley was, and how much they learned from her.
Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, daughter, Patty, and five siblings, Jewell, Russell, Clayton, Maxine, and Jim. She is survived by her brother, Verlyn Aker (Addie); daughters Barb Sadler (Brad), Billi Woodson (Jeff), and Becky Thomas (John); son-in-law Joe Jones (Sheri); grandchildren Michelle Kucera (Ian), Sara Yaeger, Simon Sadler (Brigette), Eleanor Sadler, Emily Brown (Thor), Colin Thomas (Caitlyn), and Clay Thomas (Tess); and great grandchildren Haley Kucera, Cole Kucera, Meredith Kucera, Brooklyn Yaeger, Austin Yaeger, Madeline Renfro, Olivia Renfro, August Renfro, and John Ambrose Thomas.
Family will greet friends at the Visitation from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. with a Celebration of Life Service at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Lakeview Funeral Home Chapel, 12100 E. 13th St. N, Wichita, with burial to follow at Lakeview Cemetery in the Garden of Lakes.
Memorial contributions in memory of Shirley may be made to Risen Savior Lutheran Church, 6770 E. 34th St. N, Wichita, KS 67226.
