Obituary for Shirley Mae "Shirl" Montour
Shirley “Shirl” Mae Montour, age 91 of Appleton, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 22, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, surrounded by her family.
Shirley was born May 3, 1931, in Sheboygan, a daughter of the late Earl and Madora (Kallies) Kammerman. She was raised by her uncle and aunt, Emil “Butch” and Estelle “Mama” Kammerman in Cecil and was a proud graduate of Shawano High School with the Class of 1949. On April 19, 1952, Shirley married to Donald Montour. They moved to California while Don was serving in the U.S. Navy. When Don’s Navy Tour ended, the couple returned to Wisconsin and together they raised four children whom Shirl considered her “pride and joy.” Shirley and Don remained lovingly married until his passing in 1995.
Shirl loved to travel. Whether flying to Hawaii or taking a bus trip to New York, she was eager to explore and collect experiences. She was a gifted storyteller, whose tales could hold the attention of loved ones and strangers alike. Shirl loved to watch old movies and westerns, but was also an active and independent woman who rode her bike and took long walks into her 90’s. Shirl loved dancing, especially to polkas and jitterbugs. She loved shaking her humstrum to the beat when the music moved her to do so. She even took home a humstrum playing championship trophy from the Shawano County Fair, being recognized for her talent! Shirl loved the sunshine, springtime, hanging May Day baskets, and baseball – especially the Milwaukee Brewers. More than anything else, she loved and took extraordinary pride in all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and made it a point to spend as much time as she could with each of them whenever she had the opportunity to do so.
Survivors include her children, Joe Montour (Laura Brown) of Appleton, Jeff (Jackie) Montour of Appleton, Jon (Su) Montour of Seymour, and Julie Draeger (Lary Jolly) of Hortonville; nine grandchildren, Christopher (Ashley) Montour, Emily Montour, Tyler Maas, Chelsea (Matt) Stindt, Samantha (Mike) Everard, Luke Montour, Jackie Montour (Blake Mucha), Kailyn Draeger, and Nik Draeger (Alexia Rodriguez); eleven great-grandchildren, Cullen, Ariella, Dana, Cailey, Michael, Austin, Braeden, Madilyn, Caiden, Darren, and Austin “Little Joe”; her half-brother, Karlis (Kay) Kammerman of North Carolina; and her lifelong friend, Donna Mrozinski of Manitowoc. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don; her parents; her siblings, Earl Kammerman, Jr., and Evelyn Druckrey; and several uncles and aunts.
A memorial service for Shirl will take place on Friday, July 29, 2022, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am at Mickelson Funeral Service in Shawano. Inurnment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers and plants, the family requests memorials to the Shawano Community High School for a Scholarship Fund which will be established in her name.
“Shirley’s family would like to offer its sincere thanks and appreciation to all the doctors, nurses, and staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, for making Mom’s final days peaceful ones. They would also like to thank FOX 11’s Phil DeCastro for being Mom’s favorite TV meteorologist. You did not know her, but she watched and relied on your forecasts every day! Finally, her family would like to thank hairdresser, Kris Kimball, for always making Mom look great.”
Shirley was born May 3, 1931, in Sheboygan, a daughter of the late Earl and Madora (Kallies) Kammerman. She was raised by her uncle and aunt, Emil “Butch” and Estelle “Mama” Kammerman in Cecil and was a proud graduate of Shawano High School with the Class of 1949. On April 19, 1952, Shirley married to Donald Montour. They moved to California while Don was serving in the U.S. Navy. When Don’s Navy Tour ended, the couple returned to Wisconsin and together they raised four children whom Shirl considered her “pride and joy.” Shirley and Don remained lovingly married until his passing in 1995.
Shirl loved to travel. Whether flying to Hawaii or taking a bus trip to New York, she was eager to explore and collect experiences. She was a gifted storyteller, whose tales could hold the attention of loved ones and strangers alike. Shirl loved to watch old movies and westerns, but was also an active and independent woman who rode her bike and took long walks into her 90’s. Shirl loved dancing, especially to polkas and jitterbugs. She loved shaking her humstrum to the beat when the music moved her to do so. She even took home a humstrum playing championship trophy from the Shawano County Fair, being recognized for her talent! Shirl loved the sunshine, springtime, hanging May Day baskets, and baseball – especially the Milwaukee Brewers. More than anything else, she loved and took extraordinary pride in all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and made it a point to spend as much time as she could with each of them whenever she had the opportunity to do so.
Survivors include her children, Joe Montour (Laura Brown) of Appleton, Jeff (Jackie) Montour of Appleton, Jon (Su) Montour of Seymour, and Julie Draeger (Lary Jolly) of Hortonville; nine grandchildren, Christopher (Ashley) Montour, Emily Montour, Tyler Maas, Chelsea (Matt) Stindt, Samantha (Mike) Everard, Luke Montour, Jackie Montour (Blake Mucha), Kailyn Draeger, and Nik Draeger (Alexia Rodriguez); eleven great-grandchildren, Cullen, Ariella, Dana, Cailey, Michael, Austin, Braeden, Madilyn, Caiden, Darren, and Austin “Little Joe”; her half-brother, Karlis (Kay) Kammerman of North Carolina; and her lifelong friend, Donna Mrozinski of Manitowoc. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don; her parents; her siblings, Earl Kammerman, Jr., and Evelyn Druckrey; and several uncles and aunts.
A memorial service for Shirl will take place on Friday, July 29, 2022, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am at Mickelson Funeral Service in Shawano. Inurnment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers and plants, the family requests memorials to the Shawano Community High School for a Scholarship Fund which will be established in her name.
“Shirley’s family would like to offer its sincere thanks and appreciation to all the doctors, nurses, and staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, for making Mom’s final days peaceful ones. They would also like to thank FOX 11’s Phil DeCastro for being Mom’s favorite TV meteorologist. You did not know her, but she watched and relied on your forecasts every day! Finally, her family would like to thank hairdresser, Kris Kimball, for always making Mom look great.”