Shirley A. Finger

Shirley Ann Finger was born March 22, 1929, to Harold and Helen (Letts) Hazlett in Muscatine, Iowa, in a house near where her father had grown up.  She was the second of seven children.  The Depression and a large household of children brought its challenges and joys and helped shape Shirley into a generous and kind woman who led by example.  Shirley died at 90 on December 17, 2019.

Shirley was the first in her family to earn a four-year college degree.  She started at Augustana College and later finished at MacMurray College in Illinois.  After she had her four children, she earned a Master’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood. 

Shirley married Paul Finger November 24, 1951, in Rock Island, Illinois.  They met at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she started her career in teaching and he started his in electrical engineering.  For many years, they were part of the Kum Double group there and formed life-long friends.  Paul died in 2008.

Together, they raised four children: Jeffrey (Karen Kaufman) of Carbondale, IL; Mark, of Colorado Springs, CO; Laura Torgerson (Ron) of Colorado Springs, CO; and, Amy (Gary Ziegler) of Westcliffe, CO.  They had six grandchildren: Maggie (Devon) Carlson of Long Lake, MN; Seth Woods (Arianne) of Thornton, CO; Zac Finger of Tucson, AZ; Adam Torgerson of Loveland, CO; Joshua (Jessica) Torgerson of Boxborough, MA; and, Seth Torgerson of Loveland, CO.  They survive, as does her brother Les Hazlett (Jane) of Fargo, ND, and sister, Jan Mueck, of Melbourne, FL, three great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

In 1970, the family began their adventure in Colorado with new jobs and futures for everyone.  The family built a geodesic dome near Westcliffe where Paul and Shirley spent many of their retired summers.  After living in Iowa and Colorado, they later lived in Texas and Florida before moving back to Parker, Colorado, where Shirley enjoyed being part of a Unitarian Universalist church.

Shirley was an optimistic woman who studied theology, was widely read, enjoyed competitive bridge, Mah Jongg, chess, travel and time with her friends and family.

Memorial service will be held Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 10:30AM, Christ Episcopal Church, 802 Harrison Avenue in Canon City, Colorado with inurnment in the Christ Episcopal columbarium.  There will be a luncheon reception to follow. 

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