Shirley A Bennett

Shirley A Bennett was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Shirley was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Shirley would set about immediately to create it. Shirley was born on December 12, 1936 at at home in Toledo, Oh. Her parents were Ernest and Florence Sibberson. Shirley was raised in Oregon, Oh. Shirley was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Shirley was credited with having a positive influence on those around her. The positive atmosphere that Shirley generated spread to her family. Shirley was raised with two siblings. She had one older sister Bonnie and one younger sister Betty. Shirley served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Shirley was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise. Shirley's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. As a young girl, she took part in tennis, softball, roller skating and ping pong. She was a 4H Member. In her spare time she liked comic books, playing marbles and coloring. Shirley's memorable achievements included speaker at 8th grade banquet, Lucas County Fair and piano lessons. When it came to academics and school, Shirley's organizational skills reaped dividends. Shirley was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She graduated from Clay High School in 1954. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was Typing and English. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Mr. Pyle, her civics teacher. She graduated 9th in her class and was elected to the National Honor Society. In a group of friends and acquaintances, Shirley was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Shirley the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Shirley. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Shirley also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Renamae Karrow, Janet & Elenore Huff. Later in life, she became friends with Shirley Denmark, June Smarkel, Sandy Fowler, Sherry Mielke, Marge Malone, and Naomi Haas. As Shirley knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On September 19, 1959 Shirley exchanged wedding vows with Earl Richard Bennett at First St. Mark's Lutheran Church of Oregon. Dick was a significant part of her life, and it wasn’t necessary for Shirley to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Shirley's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener. Family and children were important to Shirley, even if she didn’t always show it. Shirley was blessed with two children, two daughters, Tammy and Tina. They were also blessed with Four Grandchildren, and 1 Great-Grandchild, Brittany, David, Ashley and Ryan, and Sophia Nicole. Shirley was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Shirley rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong. At work Shirley was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Shirley was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Shirley might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was Data Entry Operator. She was employed for 7 years at Standard Oil and then years at National Family Opinion. Not only did Shirley find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were scrapbooking, traveling, playing slot machines at the casinos, going to the sporting events of the grandchildren, going out to eat and shopping. No matter what the activity was, Shirley had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced her participation in sports, too. She sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and she stayed cool and calm under pressure. She relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. In high school, Shirley played tennis and bowling. She was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were basketball, baseball, volleyball and softball that grandkids particiated in. Shirley's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made her a valuable asset to the organizations to which she contributed during her lifetime. Shirley was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Shirley had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. In high school, Shirley was a member of the y-teens, GAA, National Honor Society. Throughout her later years, Shirley was an active member of the Red Hat Ladies (Sassy Sisters), former member of the CCL. Shirley was a woman who took pride in upholding her beliefs. Politically, Shirley was not involved. Shirley lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member of First St. Marks Lutheran Church for 60 years. During that time, she was in the choir, a Sunday School teacher, served on the church board as Secretary and was a member of the Luther League. There were occasions in Shirley's life where she would find herself involved in a cause or leading an organization and event where her drive to complete the project or meet the established goal was more important than her concern for the philosophy behind it. It was this kind of commitment and drive that earned her praise and honors throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included Luthern Womens Association Thrivent Representative for one year. Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Shirley to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included Ireland, Alaska Cruise, Europe and Hawaii. Shirley was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Her family was rounded out as a child, she had a gold fish, a parakeet and chickens. When Shirley's retirement finally came in 2001 or 2002, she was well prepared. She had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what she was going to do. Her new life involved relocating to her home. In retirement, she found new pleasure in internet cafes, casinos, traveling and her grandkids. Always a well-informed person, Shirley enjoyed adding to her wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded her the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer her. Shirley passed away on December 10, 2012 at Heartland in Perrysburg, Ohio. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease. She is survived by her husband, Dick; children Tammy Ludwig and Tina Bogart; grandchildren Brittany Bogart, David Bogart, Ashley Ludwig and Ryan Ludwig. Services were held at First St. Marks Lutheran Church. Shirley was laid to rest in Lake Township Cemetery, Walbridge, OH. Shirley A Bennett knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Shirley was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.