Newcomer Family Obituaries - Shirley J. Jelsma 1935 - 2023 - Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions.

Obituary photo of Shirley Jelsma, Denver-CO

In Loving Memory of

Shirley J. Jelsma

1935 - 2023

In Loving Memory of

Shirley J. Jelsma

1935 - 2023

Services & Gatherings

Celebration of Life:

Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 10:30am
Red Rocks Fellowship Church, 11191 West Belleview Ave., Littleton, CO

Interment:

Private Family Interment
Golden Cemetery, Golden, CO

Newcomer - West Metro Chapel (303-274-6065) is assisting the family

Shirley Jeanne Jelsma
October 13, 1935 – September 21, 2023

Parents: Ralph & Fern Beecher
Siblings: Lynn Beecher, Whitwell TN; Beverly Buker, Reno NV

Shirley went from her home in Lakewood Colorado to be with the Lord on September 21, 2023. She was born on a farm near Union, IA and attended grades 1 to 12 at Union Consolidated Schools. She was very involved in vocal and instrumental music, was very good in girls basketball and graduated valedictorian.

Shirley put her faith and trust in the Lord at the age of 13 and soon gained a desire to know the Bible and know Christ in a deep and personal way. Her Bibles and devotional books have lots of notes related to her study, understanding and personal application of the Word. Later her interest grew into a desire to really know God in a personal way. You couldn’t visit her very long without her talking about the Lord and her own experience with Him. Her regular morning prayer would be “Lord if you come for me today, I’m ready. If this is not the day, I want my life to honor and glorify you”.

After high school she was engaged to Stan Jelsma. They had been together in all 12 grades in school and had started dating in the middle of their junior year. They had started a Bible club at their school and enjoyed participating in Bible studies and their youth group. She and Stan attended Moody Bible Institute for one year and then were married and settled in Colorado.

Their lives were very involved in the Lord’s work. Shirley taught Sunday school, vacation Bible school, in the AWANA program, held weekly child evangelism classes in their home, was co-chair with Stan of the Colorado state committee for Child Evangelism Fellowship. She was a volunteer at Set Free Prison Ministries for many years.

In her employment career she worked in the printing office of the church and school and worked for eight years in graphic design for Public Service Company of Colorado. Shirley was very creative and enjoyed making cards for her loved ones, playing the organ, exercising, playing games, doing puzzles, and planning family meals together. Shirley was known to be a perfectionist and very organized, so much so that one of her daughter-in-law’s wondered if she alphabetized her trash.

Shirley was the mother of four children: Stephen – Shelly Honaker; Sandee (deceased in 2021) – Dyrrick Cyphers, Scott – Evelyn Shirk; Sidney – Annette McDowell and Nicki McClung. She had 17 grandchildren and 32 great grandchildren. Shirley was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother. She was one who lived life daily to please and honor God. She will long be remembered by her family and friends for her smile, her glowing expressions and daily walk with the Lord.

If you have not already come to know the Lord, her greatest desire would be for you to come to a personal relationship with Him today.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to:
Missionary Flights International
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
www.missionaryflights.org

Services & Gatherings

Celebration of Life:

Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 10:30am
Red Rocks Fellowship Church, 11191 West Belleview Ave., Littleton, CO

Interment:

Private Family Interment
Golden Cemetery, Golden, CO

Newcomer - West Metro Chapel (303-274-6065) is assisting the family

Share Memories

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Please also sign me up for Newcomer's email newsletter.

We will treat your information with the utmost confidentiality and not share or distribute it in any way.

Add your memories to the guest book of Shirley Jelsma.

Condolences should be personal messages from family and friends. For a full version of our online obituary policy, please click here.

Memories & Condolences

Shirley... beloved older and wiser sister. You were always there, loving, caring, kind, gentle, thoughtful, helpful, doing, dependable, steady as a rock, a salt-of-the-earth person, ever faithful to God. You lived obedient to His commandments and will, trusting Jesus steadfastly with your life here and after.

Through the years, I have thought often of childhood times we shared so long ago; still do. You, Beverly, and I were most fortunate to have had a fundamentally sound upbringing, wonderful carefree younger years, much more so than we, or at least I, realized at the time. Born during the depth of the 1930s depression, we were not aware that the early years of our lives were the mid to later ones of that miserable decade-long period during which our parents married and started a family. They were kind, caring. devoted, hard-working, practical, God-fearing parents who provided well, nurtured, supported, encouraged, taught effectively by word and example, and had our best interests in mind and heart from the day we were born to the day they passed away. They provided a secure, happy, and meaningful life on their farm in central Iowa. It was about a mile west of Union, a small town of four hundred with a consolidated school that housed a total of two hundred students in all twelve grades, which included those from surrounding small towns and farms. You were a perpetual 'A' student and became a key player on the girl's high school basketball team, instrumental in it winning rare trophies. At that school it was reading, writing, arithmetic, band, baseball spring and fall, basketball through late fall and winter, not enough high school boys for a football team.

Church in town every week no matter what, Sunday mornings, Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Sometimes Sunday chicken dinners (noon), evening suppers other days, at Grandma and Grandpa Hammer's place in town; playing games with them. Visits to and from Grandma's Walton family with old time fiddle & guitar music. Visits with Grandma Beecher in Conrad. Playing in the yard at home, mowing it, riding our bicycles, riding our saddle horse, working together to satisfy family needs. Laying on the living room floor evenings listening to radio; TV & sound systems nonexistent back then. Making music evenings with Mom playing piano, we all singing, practicing band on instruments. Occasional Saturday evening movies in town at outside theater in city park; temporary canvas wall enclosure, cost a dime to get in, 16mm projector showing flickering movie on stand-up screen. Picnics and trails at Eldora and swimming in Pine Lake near it. Roller skating at a rink in Marshalltown. Dad would rent the whole place for regular “Union-only” nights through the winter. You, Beverly, Mom, Grandma working the garden; fresh food during summer & fall, canning food for winter & spring. Dad & I, you girls and Mom sometimes too: working the fields; spring plowing & planting; summer plowing corn & soybeans; mending fence; weeding garden, fields, & fence rows; endless haying shared with a circle of participating farmers; fall harvesting oats, hay seed, corn, soybeans. Doing twice-daily chores to milk cows, feed and care for the animals. Grandpa hauling animals to market. Long miserably cold late fall and winters with deep snow, wet muddy and windy springs, hot humid summers where you suffered stoically with hay fever. South winds blowing across the gravel road in front of the house drifted clouds of dust over and into it when a car or truck passed by.

It was a happy day for you, if not so much for us, when you left home to go to college. We missed you. But your leaving and success in life that followed, was our parents' first realization of a fundamental goal for parents. They taught their children how to live without them.

Not long after you left, Mom and Dad sold the farm and we moved to a new home in South Denver, Colorado. Life changed for good; city versus country. I was a 17-year old senior at South High School when you and Stan married, in August if I recall correctly, and you & he asked me to sing at your wedding. What a happy day for the two of you, and such an honor and privilege for me! That marriage was meant to be, lasted 69 years I believe, and was blessed by God. Happiness, success, many children and grand children, an increasing number great grand children. Two fulfilled lives and many more started on a path toward fulfillment.

My heart goes out to you, Stan. You may be in some state of shock at this time and likely experiencing mixed emotions. You know Shirley is in a better place, but it's hard to accept that she's actually gone. Just gone, forever. So final. And after after a lifetime together, you almost surely feel an emptiness without her. You have always loved and cared for her, but never more than through the trying times of recent years, last few months especially. Sayings are, “Time heals” and “Life goes on”. I am not so sure about time healing. Life does go on, but it is not the same, nor can be ever again. Though suffering immeasurable loss at this time, Shirley's family may also rejoice knowing that she now has eternal life with our “I am” Lord God.

Nothing I can say adequately expresses my grief and feeling of loss at your passing, Shirley. My life, and world, our world, are greatly diminished without you. Beverly and I are fortunate to hold such special memories of you and times with you. Goodbye, dear beloved sister.

~ Lynn Beecher - October 4, 2023

Shirley was an absolute joy! If you knew her, you loved her. She ALWAYS greeted you with a smile and was interested in what was going on in your life. She always offered words of encouragement and never dwelled on the health issues she was experiencing. She made you feel special and important. How we will miss her strength and wisdom, her calm and happy personality, the way she showed the love of Christ in all that she did. She was (and continues to be) a wonderful example to follow as we reach out to others to further His Kingdom and bring Him honor and glory!
We are deeply disappointed that we will be unable to attend her memorial service as we'll be leaving town the day before. Know we'll be celebrating Shirley's life in our hearts and praying for Stan and your entire family. Hers was a life well lived! May God Bless your family.

~ Joe and Patty Hummell - September 29, 2023

Shirley was and still is one of my favorite friends from and at church, May God be with your Stan.

Walter

~ Walter Lonis - September 26, 2023

I no longer have my sister and my friend. What a blessed assurance to know that right now she is in the presence of Jesus! I can only imagine the wonder of that; there are no words astounding enough to describe what that must be like!!

Shirley, Lynn and I were so fortunate to have a Christian Mom and Dad. We can look back on our upbringing with only wholesome and happy memories! We are all born sinful people, but I have to say Shirley came as close to perfection as one can get! I can think of no faults where she is concerned. From a health standpoint, she had many burdens to bear throughout her lifetime. Never did I hear her complain. Her faith in the Lord never wavered. She was always a living testament of her Christian walk. She was always positive with a smile on her face and only encouraging words.

I can no longer pick up the phone and call you for a chat. You are no longer there when I need you. Words can't describe how much I already miss you. But you are in a better place...a wonderful place...and my days are numbered until I will be there with you!

~ Beverly Buker - September 26, 2023

~ Chance Hugh