Shirley Hauseman Nordhem

Shirley Hauseman Nordhem

Shirley Nordhem, 93, of Leawood, KS, formerly of Kenilworth, IL, and Savannah, GA, passed away peacefully on Dec. 4, 2013. She will be honored at the Holiday Remembrance Service at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home in Olathe at 7 PM, Dec. 17. A memorial service and interment will take place this summer at the Kenilworth Union Church. The family thanks the staff of Village Shalom and Kansas City Hospice for their care and compassion in her final days.

Mrs. Nordhem is survived by her three children and their families: Paula Nordhem and Jim Calkins and Rachel (Burnsville, MN); Julie and Kyle Stevens, John, Michael, and Matthew (Overland Park, KS); and Robert and Elizabeth Norheim and Rosemary (Seattle). She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Alvin B. Nordhem, brothers Henry and Stanley, sister Nancy, and grandson James Stevens.

Shirley was born Annis Shirley Hauseman on May 14, 1920 to Henry and Annis Whittaker Hauseman in Columbus, OH. When she was a young girl, the family moved to the North Shore area of Chicago, settling in Kenilworth, IL in the mid-1930s. She lived in Kenilworth for most of the next 50 years.

Shirley graduated from Sweet Briar College with B.A. in Music in 1942. She supported the war effort by corresponding with men serving in the military. She also enjoyed her work as an executive secretary for a downtown ad agency.

On a Wisconsin ski trip in early 1950, she met Al Nordhem and their courtship was swift. In December of that year, they married and moved to Albany, OR to start their life together. They loved Oregon, but returned to Kenilworth in 1955 for better opportunities. Shirley was grateful for the close community in Kenilworth, and was a lifelong member of the Kenilworth Union Church. She was also active in the Kenilworth Historical Society, the Kenilworth Kalicos, and the Kenilworth Neighbors, including serving as their president. Before and after Al's retirement from Abbott Laboratories, they traveled widely, visiting 47 states and traveling to Europe and South America. She enjoyed trips sponsored by her church, which included trips to the Holy Land and behind the Iron Curtain.

In 1988, Shirley and Al moved to Skidaway Island near Savannah, GA. They enjoyed their life there with many new friends, embracing the history and culture in Savannah, attending the opera and the symphony, and joining Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church. She and Al moved to Kansas to be near family in 2007.

In her final years, she greatly appreciated her life at Town Village, Leawood, enjoying her dear new friends and the wonderful staff there. She learned to play the drums and performed in recitals. She attended the opera regularly and made it to her first rock concert. She relished visits from her grandchildren.

Shirley was a loyal friend to many, had deep connections to family, had a life long interest in politics, opera, grammar and writing, history and biography, and was a great reader and conversationalist. She was sharp and engaged until the end. She had tremendous courage and was always a good sport, as her husband liked to say.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Village Shalom of Leawood, KS, or Kansas City Hospice.