Mass of Christian Burial for Shirley J. Reinert, 77, of Timber Lake was held Monday, January 22, 2024 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Timber Lake. Interment under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home was at the Timber Lake Cemetery.
Shirley died on Sunday morning, January 14 at her home.
On May 12, 1945, in Sturgis, Shirley Jean Shaff was born to Howard Shaff and Gertrude (Sundstrom) Shaff. She was the eldest of six children.
In the summer of 1960, Shirley met Leroy Reinert at a local dance where he was visiting with Shirley’s Uncle Walt. Shirley and Leroy spent the night visiting and dancing. When it was time for Shirley to go home, Leroy drove her. From then on, they spent a lot of time together, dating over the next year.
Shirley attended school in Faith until her junior year in December, 1961 when she and Leroy were united in matrimony on December 21, 1961 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Isabel.
Shirley and Leroy resided in Faith where she babysat children and Leroy worked on the transmission line. Their first son, Leroy (Lee) Junior, was born on May 12, 1962. In 1963 the family moved to Howes, where Leroy was employed with the Western Cattle Company. Shirley spent her time helping check horses, cattle and assisted with calving, along
May 12, 1945 – January 14, 2024
with taking care of the family. They welcomed their second son, Ben, on May 26, 1964.
In 1965 the family returned to Faith after President Kennedy was killed and the Western Cattle Company was sold. Shirley went back to working at the local café like she did in her school years, cooking and waitressing. Leroy worked for the SDDOT. Their third child, Patsy, was born on June 7, 1968. Shirley studied hard and obtained her GED through the Faith School in 1971.
In 1972 Leroy and Shirley made their final move with the family to Timber Lake, where they purchased Leroy’s parents’ farm. Shirley worked for several years at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Timber Lake. She was the secretary and bookkeeper for 19 1/2 years. There she worked with her Godmother, Sister Anne McCormick, for two of those years. Leroy worked for Dewey County Highway for several years before taking employment with the SDDOT in Isabel, where he would retire in 2010.
Shirley helped Leroy run the farm, while working a full-time job and raising their children. They had cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys and horses. Shirley and Leroy, with the assistance of their children, ran a milking operation with approximately 70 to 80 milk cows for seven years.
In 1993 Shirley and Leroy took on the care of their grandchildren, Tara Carney, Kimberly Carney, and Trista Bulit (Carney), raising them as their own.
In her younger years Shirley liked canning, sewing, leather work, beading, reading, taking care of animals, cooking, and watching her kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren learn and grow. One thing Shirley “could never do was draw.”
“I really can’t regret anything in my life. I had fun doing everything. I enjoyed doing everything,” she said.
Shirley is preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Reinert; her parents; and her sister, Sheila McGinnis.
(Trista Bulit’s address is 13447 247th Ave., Timber Lake, SD 57656.)