Shirley Ann Meester

Shirley’s story began on December 11, 1937, in Hardin County. The seventh of eight children born to Tom and Kate (Folkerts) Kruse, she grew up attending country school through the eighth grade before graduating from Steamboat Rock High School in 1956. Following her calling into healthcare, she enrolled in the Evangelical School of Nursing in Marshalltown, completing her studies in 1959 and earning her R.N. degree.

In 1960, Shirley married Alvin James Meester, beginning a life together that would span nearly six decades. After early years at their Pine Lake home near Eldora, the couple moved to a farm south of Dike, where they spent 25 years farming. After Al’s passing in February 2018, Shirley moved to an independent living apartment at the Western Home complex in Cedar Falls, Iowa, before eventually moving to Legacy Village Assisted Living in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shirley’s professional life was a reflection of her heart for others. She began her nursing career at Eldora Memorial Hospital, where she served for seven years before choosing to step away for a decade to dedicate herself fully to raising her family. As she returned to the workforce, she balanced part-time roles at the Reinbeck Care Center with growing leadership responsibilities, eventually serving as the Education coordinator for both Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center and Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo. Her true professional legacy, however, was built at Hawkeye Community College. For 26 years, Shirley served as an instructor in the Nursing Assistant Program, where she shaped the next generation of caregivers. She was a respected Nurse Aide Instructor trainer and took great pride in officiating the state competency exams for the Nurse Aide Registry, ensuring that her students entered the field with the same excellence and compassion she held herself.

Shirley’s lifelong walk with the Lord began with her baptism in 1946 at the Baptist Church in Steamboat Rock. Shortly after marrying Al, she joined the Pleasant Valley Reformed Church in Holland, IA, where she became a deeply devoted member and leader. Over the years, she held various offices within the Reformed Church Women’s Ministries (RCWM) and shared her passion for scripture by guiding Bible Studies throughout the county for 30 years with the Christian Women’s Club. Shirley’s faith was often expressed through her love of music. She served as a choir director for 17 years and touched many hearts as a frequent soloist. Her heart for service extended far beyond her local community; missions were a true joy for her, culminating in a 2001 mission trip to Hungary with the Reformed Footsteps program.

She truly was a woman of many creative talents, showing her creative expression through years of ceramics, tole painting, jewelry artwork, and macrame. She also had a love for dolls; she collected & she sold doll kits for years.

Shirley got her transfer papers to Heaven on March 18, 2026, in Salt Lake City, UT. We know she has her new body, free of pain and all the afflictions of this life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Kate (Folkerts) Kruse; her husband, Alvin; her brothers Donald and Ronald (in infancy), Ernest Kruse, Tom Kruse, and Arnold Kruse; and sisters Irene Espe and Ruth Bleeker. She was also preceded by sister-in-law Lavonne (Harrenstein) Kruse, brothers-in-law Darrell Bleeker and Arnold Espe, and nieces Ann Harris and Suzanne Stephens.

Shirley is survived by her four children and their spouses: Troy and Terri Meester of Colorado Springs, CO; Alex Meester of Athens, AL; Eric Meester of Wasilla, AK; and Dawn (Meester) and Kevin Zandberg of Salt Lake City, UT.

Her legacy continues through her nine grandchildren: Adam Meester, Philip and Kristen Meester, and Tom Meester, all of Texas; Tiffany and Matt Huston of Colorado; Taylor and Sebastian Koeckeis of Germany; Qwendolyn and Christopher Campbell of North Carolina; Morgan Zandberg and Joshua Zandberg of Utah; and Toren Tischer of Alaska. She was also the proud great-grandmother of Joseph and Jackob Koeckeis and remains a beloved figure to her sisters-in-law Eileen Kruse and Beulah Kruse, as well as her many nieces and nephews.