Mrs. Shirley Ann McCracken, 82, of Galesburg, Illinois died at 2:15 a.m. Friday, February 23, 2018 at Knox County Nursing Home, Knoxville, Illinois. She was born January 8, 1936 in Galesburg to Russell and Mizpah Mulady Kilby. She married Lee McCracken, Jr. July 3, 1955 in Galesburg. He preceded her in death October 31, 1993.
Surviving are two daughters, Lisa (and Dave) Makeever of Galesburg and Debbie (and Jeffrey) Wiegers of Scottsdale, Arizona, five grandchildren, Mindi (and Jeremy) Ritchie of Galesburg, Tara (and Beau) Aplin of Galesburg, Ashley (and Ryan) Spain of Peoria, Illinois, Nick (and Natalie) Wiegers of Bremerton, Washington, and Kiley Wiegers (engaged to Keith Davis) both of Phoenix, Arizona, seven great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews that she was fond of. Shirley is also survived by long-time friend John Pampel. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, a brother, Ronald Kilby and a sister, Dixie Kilby.
Shirley graduated from Galesburg High School in 1954. She worked at Sears, Roebuck and Company in Galesburg for over 25 years and retired in 2000. Some may remember Shirley for her work in the Sears Automotive Department during the 1960s and 1970s. This was a male-dominated industry at that time and some may recall Shirley as the pretty blonde that ran between the customer service department and repair shop to ensure that customers received exactly what they paid for. Following her retirement Shirley also worked at Rosewood Care Center in Galesburg.
Shirley was an incredibly hard-working person that was always moving and doing. In her younger years Shirley enjoyed bowling and planting flowers around her home. Shirley was her happiest when spending time with her close family. She was incredibly free-hearted and was known to shop all year for the perfect Christmas and birthday gifts for her daughters and grandchildren. Her grandchildren have the fondest memories of spending the night with “Grandma Shirley” as children. Shirley was an animal lover and was particularly close to Sammy, her pet dog of many years.
Cremation will be accorded. Private family graveside service will be Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at East Linwood Cemetery. Rev. James Ecklund will officiate. There will be no visitation. Memorials may be made to Knox County Humane Society or Hospice Compassus. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com.
