Bruskiewitz
Shirley Mae McMullen, lover of good wine, great scotch, music, dancing, acting, hugging, and kissing her family, passed away at her home in Franklin, WI on January 3, 2022. She was 92.
Shirley was born to Evelyn and Charles Rioch on November 1, 1929 in Chicago, IL. While attending Northwestern University, she met the one and only love of her life, Donald McMullen (who passed away September 22, 1998). They married in 1956, had 2 children, and after 10 years in Chicago moved to New York. For the following 15 years, she spent her time working in Theatre while Don did professional photography. This earned her many stories of the New York speed record in costume changes and attending extravagant parties where she often fashioned her own evening attire. In 1981, their lives and hearts forever moved to Egg Harbor in Door County, WI where they opened and operated Grandma's Grill. She built a reputation working for multiple businesses in Door County such as the Cupola House, bookkeeping for hotels, and helping Don at The Egg Harbor Marina. Her love of cooking and companionship created lasting memories in Door County that she held close to her heart and talked about daily. Although her heart never left Door County, in 2016, she moved to Franklin, WI enabling more frequent visits with family.
Grandma, as she proudly preferred to be called, was someone who emulated what it meant to enjoy life. She loved reminiscing about the times she got to drink, laugh, and dance with her husband, friends, and even her grandchildren. She was never short on stories to tell and always had a drink ready whenever you'd come to visit her. She took pride in her every day hobbies of knitting, crochet, and needlepoint, especially the Christmas stockings and baby blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved trying new recipes (making sure to give each a star rating), gardening, decorating and rearranging her home for each season, doing crosswords, and playing the piano. Whether you were in the mood to talk about cooking, learning about red wines and scotch, chatting about politics, religion, or life's struggles, she was someone you could count on for great company. Her unending faith in God gave her many inspirational points of view about living life to the fullest, often saying "don't worry about tomorrow", "live for today", and reminding us to always think positive and trust in God's plan.
Shirley is survived by her daughters Susan Bowden (Randy) of Louisville, KY and Debbie Frelk (Raymond) of Franklin WI, her brother Bruce Rioch (Lynnea) of Parkridge,IL, her sister Patricia Beckstrom of Sister Bay, WI, brothers-in-law James McMullen of Mundelein, IL and Wesley McMullen of Cannes, France, 16 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild.
Funeral services will be held at Calvary United Methodist Church, 4650 County E, Egg Harbor, WI 54209, on Saturday January 15th at 11:00am. Visitation at the church from 10 AM until time of Service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up in Shirley's name at Calvary United Methodist Church. Please send donations in her name to the following address: P O Box 168, Egg Harbor, WI 54209.
LINKS
Door County Advocate
http://www.doorcountyadvocate.com
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