Gerdel, Shirley Arlene (nee Gerstner), passed away Feb. 3, 2024, at age 89. She was the beloved wife of Roy N. Gerdel, Jr.; loving mother of Sandra Gilfillan (Jeff), Karen Schneider (Rick), Nick Gerdel, and Elizabeth Johnson (Matt); cherished grandmother of Elizabeth Schneider, Lauren Rios (Dustin), Maria Herrin (Nick), Katie Lewis (Tyler), Michael Johnson, and Caroline Johnson. She was the devoted great-grandmother to Makenna and Teagan Lewis, Kai Rios, and Drew Herrin. Shirley was also a dear sister, aunt, cousin, and friend.
Shirley was born in St. Louis and attended Beaumont High School. While in the 10th grade, she was assigned Roy Gerdel as her lab partner for the frog dissection. While there were many shenanigans with the frog, Shirley held the two together and garnered them an A in the class. Thus began a romance that led to a 64-year marriage. Shirley and Roy raised four children with all the traditions of the '50s, '60s, and '70s-camping, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, bike rides, hiking, picnics, tennis, and vacations. While leader of her daughters' Cadette troop, Shirley helped the girls fund raise and took them on a week-long trip to Colorado. The trip brought life-long friendships and memories.
While still raising her children and supporting Roy in his career at Xerox Corporation, Shirley went back to Harris Stowe College to finish her education degree. Upon graduating in 1972, she taught in the St. Louis City Public Schools until her retirement. A retirement highlight was building a home in
Keystone, Colorado, which became a gathering place for family and friends.
Travel was also the dream come true of the Gerdel's lives, almost always planned by Shirley. They visited six continents, flew over the seventh, and saw all 50 U.S. states. Kids and grandkids frequently accompanied them.
Like Roy, Shirley was a proud St. Louisan. They regularly visited St. Louis institutions; favorites included the St. Louis Symphony, the Art Museum, Cardinals games, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Powder Valley Nature Center.
When the time came for assisted living, Shirley made the transition to Sunrise Senior Living with grace. She found friendly tablemates, who soon became friends. She was the only female in the weekly poker group and delighted in raking in the chips.
Until the end, she treasured her Beaumont, Harris Stowe, Glendale, Xerox, and Sunrise friends. Throughout her years, Shirley expressed gratitude for the blessings in her life, many of which came about through her own hard work and sincere niceness.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Louis Symphony or the Missouri Botanical Garden.