Maureen " Mickey" Elizabeth Short

Maureen "Mickey" Elizabeth (Hankel) Short of Fergus Falls, MN died February 13, 2026 after a brief battle with cancer. Mickey Short was born October 26, 1952 in Minneapolis, MN, where she graduated from St. Anthony of Padua High School. She received a bachelor's degree in English/creative writing from Macalester College in St Paul, MN. She loved semi-colons and stood firmly opposed to the Oxford comma. Free-spirited, she traveled extensively in the US, eventually making her way to the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver on a camping trip with friends. She became an avid cyclist and participated in multiple Ragbrai rides across Iowa. She developed a particular connection to Florida, through family visits and an appreciation of its vibrant ecosystems.

Mickey worked in real estate development for many years. In 1985, she built a beautiful house on the Rum River near Anoka, MN, surrounded by nature and in proximity to the Twin Cities. Her home became a gathering place for family and friends, and a sanctuary for animals. She converted gardens into habitats to rehabilitate injured or orphaned racoons, and filled nearly every room with rescued or adopted animals, including guinea pigs, mourning doves, and countless dogs. A pet grooming business she established in her basement was later moved to St Francis, MN. Mickey's great passion was caring for and rescuing animals. She volunteered at many rescue organizations and at a primate sanctuary. To provide the most sensitive and compassionate care to her charges, she studied anthropology and animal behavior, learned sign language, and received training on positive reinforcement techniques.

Mickey was the fun aunt, the nurturing friend and ally who complimented you until you blushed. She easily found humor in things and loved to share fits of laughter. She carved a compassionate, life-affirming, joyful path, and did her best to uplift those around her. She saw the best in each of us. Her life was driven by purpose: in 1997, she drove to Fargo, North Dakota, to help sandbag during the Red River Valley flood, and then to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, to rescue stranded animals.

In more recent years, Mickey's love of planning and nurturing could be found in her work in event production, hospitality, and bar management throughout the Twin Cities, where she was a strong advocate for the communities she served. In 2021, she moved to Fergus Falls, MN to be close to her sister, Joan. They made the most of their time together, regularly embarking on adventures. One of their favorite destinations was the North Shore of Lake Superior; their last trip together was to The Badlands of South Dakota in 2024.

Preceding Mickey in death were her mother, Louise Short; fathers, Richard Short and William Hankel; brothers, Bobby Hankel and William Short; her sister, Joan Louise Kohan; aunt, Iona Swart; uncle, Gerald Hankel; mourning doves; dogs, Mama Girl, Little Red, Serenity, Maxine, Tucker Lee Brown, Charlie, and more.

Mickey is survived by her Chihuahua-Pug, Halo; her niece, Gretchen (Joseph Lutton) Kohan of New York, NY; nephew, Eliot (Lindsay DeVore) Kohan of St Paul, MN; grandnephews, Harrison Kohan-Lutton, and Simon Kohan; aunt, Dorothy Hankel of Nevada; cousin, Larry Hankel of Texas; cousins Henk Van Eijken, Hans Van Eijken, and Tonnis Van Eijken of The Netherlands; and many human and animal friends.

Donations to Mickey's favorite charities would be greatly appreciated in lieu

of flowers: Operation Kind Heart (https://www.operationkindheart.org/donate); Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary (https://junglefriends.org/make-a-donation/); The Retrievers (https://www.theretrievers.org/donate/)