Shirley A nn Baxter (Conner) 88 , passed away peacefully Friday, April 26, 201 9 with her daughter s by her side at her daughter's home in Athens, GA .  Shirley was born July 23, 1930 to Arthur and Ella Conner (Zapf) in Rochelle, IL.

Shirley enjoyed travel, genealogy , photography, animals, music , and spending time with her family. As a child, Shirley and family spent countless hours in Mendota where her mother's large family lived. Shirley's aunts and uncles doted on the ir nieces and nephews and provided great humor and entertainment for them all. As a young woman, Shirley was a proud Rochelle Penguin s softball player (second baseman) , enthusiastically played violin in the Rochelle H igh S chool orchestra and also played bass drum in m arching band (though the drum was bigger than she was !). Sh e loved staying connected with her 1948 Hub classmates. Shirley raised her family in Rockford, IL where she was a member o f Our Savior's Lutheran Church and was employed by Loves Park Medical C linic as an i nsurance f acilitator.  She also volunteered in Rockford for Contact ( suicide prevention hotline) and at Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary.

Besides loving to visit her children and grandchildren, m any of Shirley's travels were to attend her four daughter's various musical performances. She encouraged their antics and she had a knack for singing harmony , always finding the missing note in any chord . Up to the end of her life, she enjoying passing time by playing rhythm instruments to big band songs. Sh irley also lived real harmony in her life, giving her daughters the advice to 'not hold grudges' , to trust God and live happily in life. She exemplified love in action through everything she did – in her home life and also in the various volunteer work she performed including her service as a communion outreach person for her church, and by being a 'friend in need' to so many. Though somewhat quiet by nature, Shirley also had an adventurous side, once showing up incognito in NYC at her daughters' performance in a big blond wig and sunglasses. A favorite childhood memory she would retell was of going up in a plane with her likewise teenage buddy, Alice, as the pilot - something she only told her mother about years later.

Shirley was great at board games and cards and enjoyed playing these with her friends and grandchildren . She couldn't resist greeting any dog she saw and had many wonderful animal companions in life , including her childhood pal, Scraps . He was the unpopular male neighborhood stray, who followed her into church one day (which was against the rules!). Shirley had a passion for genealogy and unraveling the mysteries of family histories. She loved knowing about her roots and the connectedness of the many characters in her family tree , and as a gifted writer, wrote several books on her family lineage. Shirley was a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears and no one dare interrupt her while the game was on. She was convinced she could have recruited better quarterbacks every season!

Shirley is survived by four daughters ( from first husband Darrell Jones of Rochelle, IL) : Debbie ( Peter ) Nordeen of Asheville, NC, Donna (Tim) Lovstad of Lakeville, MN, Dr. Denise (David) D'Angelo of Athens, GA, and Deanna (Mark) Falchook of Orlando, FL; 11 grandchildren: Kimberly (Jon) Flaa , Duluth, MN, Kris Lovstad , Owatonna, MN, Kari (Tyler) Grapp , Rochester, MN, Samantha (Tyler) Hudson , Denver, CO. Andrew Falchook , Hollywood , CA, Dominick D'Angelo , Athens, GA,  Grace, Ella, Jared, Matéa , Alec Falchook , Orlando, Fl . Also six Great grandchildren : Griffin, Amelia, Alaina, Odin, Thorbjorn , Johannes ; and many loving cousins, nieces and nephews. Shirley is preceded in death by her husband, Warren (Barney) Baxter of Rockford , with whom she had six step children , three step-grandchildren, and one step-great grandchild. She is p redeceased by her parents, Arthur and Ella Conner, sister, Thursa Jean ne Walker, s on, Dennis Jones, and many loving relatives and friends.

Please join the family for Shirley's visitation on Friday, May 3 rd from 9:30 A.M. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church , Rochelle, Illinois, followed by the funeral at 10:30 A.M. Burial at Lawnridge Cemetery and luncheon will follow.

Memorial d onations in Shirley's honor can made to NOAH'S ARK ANIMAL SANCTUARY http://www.noahsarkanimals.org/ and the Guardian Angel Fund of the MENDOTA LUTHERAN HOME http://www.mlh500.com/guardian_angel_fund