Shirley Mary Fletemier Obituary
Shirley Fletemier had a servant's heart. You could see it in her daily mail, which consisted of correspondence from Compassion International, the VFW, Wounded Warriors, and the Salvation Army, the charities she loved to help. You could see it in her love of people. She loved to have folks over to her house, and to entertain. You could see it in the way she always put her kid's needs ahead of her own. She wanted to keep Sally and Curt nearby after Marv died in 1988, but she knew Sally loved the mountains and Curt wanted to travel, so she sent each of them out to find their personal dreams and live their own lives.
Shirley read from the Bible and from her copy of "Jesus Calling" every morning, and loved to study what the Bible teaches us about Heaven. Our mom KNEW the Lord Jesus is the only way and really walked hand in hand with Him through those final years of her life. She KNEW where she was headed and was completely at PEACE about it.
Shirley crossed over from her hospital room into the "Promised Land" at about 9:50 AM, on 06DEC22, while listening to the hymn "Amazing Grace" from a phone held up to her ear. I saw her chest rise a bit higher with the music, and the faint hint of a smile. A few minutes later, the nurse came in, took Mom's vitals, and said, "I'm sorry sir, your mom has passed.".
Born of a WW1 veteran and his loving, dutiful wife, Shirley Hyatt grew up in the depths of the depression years up in Michigan's thumb. She often spoke of the poverty she had known. Later her father got a job he really loved. He was the park ranger of Dodge Park 5 in Commerce. If you go to that park today, the family's little shack was located right near where the library is now.
The family attended the Methodist church in Commerce, still there today. During the war years, Shirley caught the eye of a young staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps who was home on leave. Mom turned 21 on 26JUL50, and two days later, on the 28th, Marvin Fletemier took Shirley for his wife. Marv and Shirley were very much in love their whole lives, and gave birth to a daughter, Sally Fletemier, and then to a son, Curt Fletemier.
The couple's "golden years" would have to be their years in Amway, where, as direct distributors, they made some really close friends, family really, who have stayed close ever since.
As mentioned above, Marvin died of cancer in 1988. Shirley carried on the Amway business from the condo they had purchased together. During these years Shirley travelled with her daughter, visiting Curt in Japan, visiting Hawaii twice, travelling the Southwest, and even living in Florida with Sally for a time. Usually, the three were together at Christmas, but Curt was sometimes still overseas.
When she started to slow down, and had even fallen once, Curt finally came home from his travels to help Shirley out at home, and stayed with her throughout these last five years. Sally also began coming home six months out of the year, in the winters mostly. If you'd ask either of them, they would say these times with mom, the laughter and warmth, were some of the best times of their lives.
Mom allowed us to go out and find our dreams. Now, at 93, Mom was more than ready, really anxious to go see "The Big Country," that awaits the Lord's people. Her eyes and ears were failing. Her legs were weak, and her lungs were giving out. It was Mom's time. We miss her much. But after years of suffering, and the mounting limitations of old age, Mom is FREE. She's OKAY, and we will see her AGAIN. Now it is OUR turn to let HER go.
Shirley Fletemier's funeral will be on 16DEC22 at Faith Covenant Church, (35415 W. 14 Mile, Farmington Hills), corner of 14 Mile and Drake. Visitation is at 11 AM, and the service is at 12, with a light luncheon afterward.
