Shirley Greenawalt

Shirley V. Greenawalt, 98, passed on September 4, 2024 at St. Vincent’s Benedict Memory Care in Bismarck, ND. Shirley chose to be cremated and a graveside service will be at a later date in 2025 in Northumberland, PA where her ashes will be placed with her parents. A Celebration of Life will follow. 

Shirley was born in Northumberland, PA on August 24, 1926 to Eugene and Mildred Danneker. Shirley’s family members who predeceased her were her parents and her daughter, Diane. 

She is survived by her children, Glenn (Thailand), Dave (Bull Head City, AZ), Linda and her husband, Harry Brosious (Lincoln, ND), Ann and her husband, Rick Dohl (Pittsburgh, PA); grandchildren, Glenn Micheal, Felicia (Bodle) and her husband, Tom Timmons, Charles and Brittany Brock, Tiffany and Tierney, Sarah and Eric; one great grandson, Tommy. 

Shirley graduated from Northumberland High School and was a proud “Pineknotter”. After graduating she began her career at the State Capitol and spoke fondly of riding the train home on weekends meeting people. 

She began married life and started her family, continuing to live in “Caketown”because it was always about community and neighbors were family. She was an at home mom for many years before perusing various jobs and would eventually work and retire from Sunbury Textiles Mills. During her retirement Shirley continued to volunteer, help the community and church, to stay involved and active. She enjoyed her friends, family, traveling, adventures and at times, was a bit of a daredevil. Eventually, Shirley moved to North Dakota with family and loved the openness and spoke of so many perfect “ten” days, with breezes and blue skies. 

She was a devoted mother, loving her children immensely. She was committed to teaching life lessons, she listened, guided, and supported her children in their endeavors. She taught them to follow their hearts, have “wings” which gave her children freedom to follow the journey God has set for them without fear. She encouraged them to find strength through faith and prayers, and to always move forward in life and frequently remined them to always prioritize faith, family, work because jobs come and go but relationships are forever, and lost time never returns. 

She often compared her children to Greek mythology, Phoenix, rise above, recreate, start anew but continue to move even when life feels too difficult and overwhelming, the power of God is there…She has earned her last set of wings, she in ow their Angel. She will be forever missed; however, her memories will be held close to our hearts forever. 

Even though Mom’s Alzheimer’s came with such a cost, our memories are never lost. 

The family requests that memorial donations be made to your local Alzheimer’s Associations.