Shirley E Grunewald

Shirley Ellen Grunewald, resident of Piedmont Oklahoma, passed away November 11, 2025. She was 91 years young.
A celebration of Shirley's life will be held at Crawford Funeral Home Chapel-610 NW 178th St, Edmond, OK-on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Visitation will begin at 12 PM. A burial will be held at Laverne Memorial Cemetery on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
Shirley was born on September 16, 1934 in Harper County, OK to Claude Henry Zollinger & Mildred Ellen Mitchell. Shirley graduated from Laverne High School in May of 1953. On December 17, 1950 in Clayton, NM-Shirley married the love of her life, Gerald Wayne "Pete" Hennigh, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy & entered active duty on December 21, 1950. Pete & Shirley moved to Oregon in 1954. In 1956 they established their home in Laverne, Oklahoma. Soon after settling into their home, their family started to grow. They had three children-Sonja, Sally, & Kevin. They were all members of the First Baptist Church of Laverne.
Shirley was truly admired by all of her multitude of family, friends & co-workers. She dearly loved each & every one of them. If you're reading this, always remember she loved you too & you were just as special to her as she was to you.
She had a love of sewing & was quite the seamstress. That passion & talent clothed her daughters, as well as others. She was a night owl by nature & sewed many hours into the night. Shirley had a home in her heart for all. Intuitively she was always a caregiver, spending many hours taking care of anyone in need. She loved baking & feeding anyone that walked through her door. Shirley was a social butterfly who loved attending the countless number of rodeos, horse races, & greyhound dog races throughout her life. She especially loved watching & encouraging all of her children & grandchildren in all of their endeavors. She was a fundamental pillar of love & support for her first two grandchildren, Brooks & Shelby, who her & Pete helped raise. Neither time nor space ever hindered their presence in all of their grandchildren's lives. They gladly traveled many miles to attend all of their events. They were so proud of every accomplishment & were always there to console in their failures as well. Shirley was always ready to give everything she had so they may not have to suffer through anything. Her loving heart always cared for & forgave anyone that needed it.
Shirley's beauty was evident. Not only from her flamboyant appearance, which she loved to always dress nice with her bright clothes, hair & jewelry, but also for her inner beauty. She always greeted everyone with her radiant smile. She had a sixth sense about who needed a hug & a laugh. Her sense of humor was uncanny. She truly lit up a room & it was such fun to spend time with her.
In Shirley's life she experienced a heartbreak that words will never be able to describe, to try to would be an injustice to the unbearable grief a mother must endure after the loss of a child. On March 4th, 1989, her son Kevin was fatally injured in an automobile accident. Kevin, his wife Nancy, & son Kale were living in Greeley, Colorado when the accident occurred. Time could never heal the pain of losing a child but Shirley had her faith & her family to help her get through the many following days of her life without her son Kevin. There is no doubt she is reunited with him now in the afterlife.
Later on July 9th, 2001 she lost the love of her life, her husband Pete. She continued to reside in Laverne until 2005 when she retired from The First National Bank of Laverne. At this time, she moved to Cimarron City, OK where her brother Veldon had land next to the Cimarron River. It was a special place for many years, fishing & spending time with family. The memories made in that special place will forever be cherished & remembered by her family.
Shirley married Kenneth Grunewald in May of 2005. She spent many years enjoying their blended family, traveling to children, & grandchildren's events. She became an avid golfing fan & of course remained a die-hard OSU supporter. She loved the Grunewald's dearly & appreciated all of the joy & fun they brought into her life. Kale, Kevin & Nancy's son, was so very special to Shirley; he was uniquely him & also a part of her son that lived on. Kale had a younger sister, Paige who was also such a blessing to Shirley. On July 6, 2006 Kale Wayne passed away from Hodgkins's lymphoma. His mental toughness through his sickness was such an inspiration to all of the family. Kale's legacy will live on through his annual scholarship fund at Guthrie High School.
Shirley spent her final years residing in Piedmont, OK with her Granddaughter Shelby Brown & her daughter Sonja Yarborough who became her primary caregivers. Shirley had the pleasure of being close to her Great Grandchildren Slayd & Sylvee daily. Her Great Grandchildren Lawson & Rex & the many young kids from the neighborhood all loved Gigi. Children always recognized her youthful, loving, & playful spirit. Everyone mattered in the eyes of Shirley, she blessed many children with the kind heart she possessed. In addition to Pete, Kevin Wayne, & Kale Wayne Hennigh Powell, she was preceded in death by her husband Kenneth Grunewald in September 2016, her parents Claude & Mildred Zollinger, brothers Richard, Joe, & Bill, sister in-laws Jeanetta & Tamara, brother in-laws Duane & Don Hennigh, Don's wife Peggy, Mike Hennigh & his son Russ, sister in-laws Jewel Hink & her husband Dan Hink, Joyce Litscher, Wanda Grover, her son Kerry, & Sister In-Law Linda Dodson.
Shirley is survived by: Daughter Sonja Yarborough, son in-law Dan Yarborough, Sonja's children Brooks Brown, Shelby Brown, Tess Tennessee Mills, Wendy Carter, Wesley Yarborough, his wife Krystal. Great Grandchildren Brynn, Scarlett, & Daniela Brown, Slayd & Sylvee Brown, Caden & her husband Tanner Schultz, Carson Carter, Nicole Martinez, Colton Yarborough, Daniel Yarborough & Great-Great-Grandchildren Sollie Schultz, little Wes & Remi Yarborough.
Daughter Sally Mills. Sally's children Kolby, Clay, & Connor Mills. Clay's wife Sarah & Connor's significant other Molly Meuir. Kristin & her husband Michael Sackett. Great Grandchildren Lawson Mills, Sadie McWhorter, Rex, Callum, & Clara Mills, Madelyn, Maddox & (baby on the way) Mills, Ryleigh Dufour, Nolan Meuir, Kennedi Rooth, Ryli Thomas, Grayson & Bryanna Sackett. Great-Great-Grandchildren Asher & Griff Rooth.
Daughter-in-Law Nancy Nederostec & husband George, Nancy's daughter Paige & her husband Donte Foster. Their children Camille & Bray Foster. Brothers Rocky & Veldon Zollinger & wife Wilda Zollinger, Junior & wife Donna Zollinger, as well as a host of other nieces & nephews.
Bonus children Kelly & his wife Kelley Grunewald, their children Riley & Reagan, Kevin & his wife Teresa Grunewald, their children Laura & Katy, Karla Grunewald & her children Alane & Alison.