Shirley Eileen Grosshans

Shirley Eileen Grosshans, 91, years young, died peacefully at home with her daughter and caregiver by her side. Shirley was born in Lincoln Nebraska, on May 7, 1933, to Esther and Marsh Stahnke. That’s where she met and married Max Henry Grosshans. After being a funeral director in Oklahoma, they purchased a funeral home in Snyder, Texas and lived there until they moved to San Angelo in 1981. Shirley held many positions in her work life from secretary to receptionist at Johnson’s Funeral Home where her love of talking and her ability to engage anyone in conversation was put to good use. The genuine sympathy for others made her a natural for her work at Johnson’s and later on as a leader of Compassionate Friends where she dealt with many people’s grief and sorrow, as well as her own. Shirley and Max became involved with Compassionate Friends when their daughter Susan died in 1984. She became the leader shortly afterwords and kept it going for the next 34 years until her health began to fail. She was passionate about the newsletter and worked so hard and spent so much time researching articles or hunting for any kind of resource that might be helpful for a grieving person. She was a friend to all and a lifeline for so many. This will be her legacy, and she loved doing it. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Max and her daughter Susan Palmer. She is survived by her daughter, Shelley Allen, of San Angelo and her son, Guy Grosshans, of Florida; her grandchildren, Foster Allen, Greg Grosshans and Kim Grosshans. She is also survived by five great grandchildren. Shirley will be available for viewing from 12:00PM – 7:00 P.M., Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Harper Funeral Home. The graveside service will be 3:00 P.M., Friday, December 13, 2024, at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens.

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