Shirley May (Wohlt) Kopitske, 93, passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2023. She was born in Appleton on May 11, 1930, the daughter of the late George and Beatrice (Hanson) Wohlt.
She was baptized in 1930 by the Rev. V. Grosschuesch and confirmed in 1943 by the Rev. H. Lehman. On Aug. 30, 1952, Shirley married Virgil D. Kopitske at Hope Evangelical and Reformed Church in Fremont. She then joined Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, Illinois, in 1952 and prior to death was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bonduel.
Shirley attended Weyauwega High School and University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she majored in bacteriology and played in the university concert band. She was employed at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, Illinois, in antibiotic research for a number of years. Later Shirley became a tree farmer with her husband, starting in 1960. She lived in Libertyville, Illinois, from the 1950s until 1988. From 1988 until 2019 she lived on the farm near Navarino.
Shirley served the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (in Illinois and Wisconsin) as local secretary and president and as zone president, and as a delegate to district conventions and twice to National conventions. She enjoyed volunteering at the Bethesda Thrift Store in Green Bay and Appleton. She played piano for a few years for the monthly shut-in service at St. Paul.
Shirley was a member of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association. She served as secretary and president of the WWOA Wolf River Chapter and was a committee member of two annual WWOA meetings. Her Shioc River Tree Farm was a member of the American Tree Farm System.
Since 2019, Shirley lived in Normal, Illinois, with her son, Greg Sr., as she needed living assistance.
Shirley is survived by her son, Greg Sr. (Mercy), two grandchildren, Greg Jr. and Kristine (Nick) Brownfield; a great-grandson, Jaxson Brownfield; a brother-in-law, Harley Kopitske; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Virgil, and three children, Brian, Ruth and Glen.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 16, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 240 E. Green Bay St., Bonduel. Pastor Mark Palmer will officiate. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 15, from 4-7 p.m. at the Lewin Funeral Home, 210 W. Main St., Fremont, and on Friday, at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will be in Wolf River Cemetery, Fremont.
A memorial fund has been established for St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Bonduel.
Shirley M. Kopitske
