Shirley Rosema

Shirley Rosema was a woman of great strength, who worked hard throughout her life and persevered through trials that came her way, always remaining true to the joy that was in her heart. Through work and play, hardship and illness, Shirley never lost sight of the things in life that truly mattered. Her sincere enthusiasm for and honest approach to life was contagious, and it increased the lives of those close enough to receive the gift of her warmth. The year 1946 was a mixture of historical events. On December 31st, President Harry Truman officially proclaimed an end of hostilities in World War II, and in the entertainment world, Frank Capras Its a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Steward premiered. For Gerben Red Terlaan and his wife, Renetta (DeVries), of Ravenna, Michigan, it was a wonderful year for their family as they welcomed the birth their daughter, Shirley Joan, on April 6, 1946. Shirley grew up in a close-knit family with nine children: Marilyn, Carol, Don, Marvin, Shirley, Harry, Mary, Linda and Gary. Because of her placement in the sibling lineup, Shirley used to joke that she was the middle neglected child. She led a typical childhood of the time on their family farm in Ravenna, where she shared in the daily farm chores and picked pickles when in season. Shirley attended the Ravenna schools, and when not helping around the farm, she spent her leisure time babysitting to earn extra money, and was involved in 4-H with her mom as the club leader. She also spent a few summers at Bible Camp with her siblings. While her mother was a busy homemaker, Shirleys father provided for their family working at Sealed Power and farming their land. Her father was very much a simple man, and they didnt have indoor plumbing, a phone or television for most of her childhood. In fact, after Shirley graduated from high school in 1964, she started working and saved her money to buy the family a TV (which her father came to enjoy himself). Shirley was a very independent and greatly self-reliant young lady; she learned to fix a lot of things on her own over the years, and was always resourceful. When her brother went off into the service, he gave Shirley his cherry red Chevy Impala, which she kept in mint condition. Eventually, Shirley went to work as a machine operator at Standard Automotive (which later became Burgess Norton), making rocker bars for engines. She was a loyal, hardworking employee here for many years. In the early 1970s, Shirleys life took a new direction when she met David Rosema, who was working in a bike shop in Muskegon. The two began dating and with that, their love story began. Shirley and David were happily married on June 13, 1973. A couple years later, the couple endured great heartache as their first child, daughter Amy, was stillborn. After that, the couple moved to Kansas City for a while, where David got a job with the Salvation Army, and Shirley worked in a curtain factory. They eventually returned to Muskegon, settling on Kensington Street in the Wolf Lake area of Muskegon, and Shirley was able to get her job back at Standard Automotive. In 1977, Shirley and David were blessed with the birth of their son, Justin, and two years later, their son, Travis. Though Shirley worked full time after her children were born, her main occupation was always taking care of her family. She loved being a mother, and was always very involved in her boys school and other activities. They both were very active in sports, and Shirley made sure they always got to practices and cheered them on at every game. One year she even coached her son Travis baseball team. When it came to getting away, the family enjoyed being members of the Muskegon Timber Travelers and every couple of weekends they would take their pop-up camper and head to a different campground around the state. At home, Shirley enjoyed baking, cooking, knitting and sewing, and attended Wolf Lake Baptist Church when she could. As a wife and mother, Shirley indulged in the opportunity to share her love. This was especially true when her son, Travis, was diagnosed with an inherited liver disease called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency at the age of 15. She made sure he had the best doctors and care possible, making many trips to the Mayo Clinic and University of Michigan. Even while Travis was battling he insisted on participating sports and Shirley supported his efforts. After Travis got a liver transplant at 17, she tenderly cared for him and vigilantly watched over his recovery. It broke her heart though that Travis couldnt play sports when he wanted to so badly; he lived vicariously through his brother Justin, insisting on going to his football and basketball games at Oakridge High School. Although Shirley would do anything for her family, her own health wasnt the best as she had the same disease as her son Travis, except hers affected her lungs and she had to wear a respirator every day to work. Despite these challenges, Shirley never stopped giving her all in everything she did, and wouldnt even hear of going on disability. She was loyal to her workplace for 36 years, and only retired after the company moved out of town. Then, in 2002, Shirley finally went on disability, albeit reluctantly. In time, she had to go on oxygen and needed a scooter to get around. Still, this didnt stop her from living life. She would drive that scooter several blocks just to visit her granddaughter, Natalie. By this time, Shirleys son, Justin, was a teacher and coaching girls basketball and softball teams, and she tried to be at every one of their games. She became very close with the girls on the team and sewed and knitted several stocking caps for them and chaperoned trips too. Without a second thought to her own well being, Shirley tenderly cared for her husband during this time who also suffered with health issues. How Shirley found the time and energy to do what she did is a testament to her commitment to her family. Her unconditional love and devotion is a gift none of her family will ever forget. Shirley J. Rosema, age 64, passed away on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, David; sons, Justin (Carrie) Rosema of Decatur, Travis (Meghan Scott) Rosema of Muskegon; granddaughter, Natalie; brothers, Don (Sandra) Terlaan, Harry (Barb) Terlaan, Marvin (Gilletta) Terlaan; sisters, Marilyn Bronsink, Mary (Jim) Ackerman, Linda (Mark) Lindzy. She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Amy Rosema; brother, Gary Terlaan; sister, Carol Stahl. A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 14, at 1:00 p.m. at Clock Chapel of Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alpha-1 Foundation. Please visit Shirleys personal memory page at www.clockfuneralhome.com, where you may share a memory and/or sign her online guest book.