Shirley K. Brink | 1936-2022
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Dec 19, 2022 | 11:50 AM / 348 views
Shirley K. Brink, 86, of Gettysburg, passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 2, 2022, with her loving daughter Jean at her side, at the Avera Oahe Manor, Gettysburg, SD, where she received outstanding and compassionate care throughout the end of her remarkable life.
A celebration of life will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gettysburg with Fr. Brian Simon presiding. Burial will be 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 29, 2022, at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis.
Shirley was the third of four sisters born to Ross and Beulah (Hawkins) Atkinson on a farm north of Plankinton, SD. Her relationship with her parents and her sisters shaped the path of her life, and profoundly affected the lives of her children and grandchildren. Shirley described her dad as “one of the kindest, most soft-hearted, caring, and honest people I ever knew, who without fail would find something good in something bad.” She described her mother as “always neat, clean, pretty, and someone that could do anything she set her mind to.” Shirley was caring and honest like her dad, and like her mother, she was unique. Shirley’s closest friends were always her sisters. Her sister Judy was two years younger and her very best friend. In Shirley’s words, “We got along perfectly. I don’t think we ever had an argument and as kids we spent a lot of time dancing together at home.” After graduating from Plankinton High School, Shirley worked at a bank in Chamberlain for a short time before marrying her husband Marion, a Plankinton boy who also happened to be the brother of Judy’s husband, Bob.
Shirley and Marion left for California soon after their wedding, as Marion was stationed there in the U.S. Navy at the time. Shirley loved their two years in California. “We lived two blocks from the Pacific Ocean, carefree and very much in love. We would spend our last $2.00 before payday on pizza.” Though they moved back to South Dakota a few years later, Shirley seemed to take a little bit of Southern California with her wherever she went. She loved to reminisce about those days and was able to take a number of trips back to California with Marion, her kids, and also a special trip with her parents.
While in California, their baby daughter Jean was born. Of all the bright things that happened while they lived in California this was without a doubt the brightest. Jean may have been the apple of her dad’s eye, but as she grew into adulthood her relationship with Shirley was perhaps best described as a loving friendship. Being a young mother meant that sometimes people mistook them for sisters, which never seemed to bother Shirley one bit. An apple that didn’t fall far from the tree, Jean took fastidious care of Shirley’s needs during her final years.
While Jean’s arrival brought many changes, it also marked the beginning of Shirley’s life’s work. While Shirley filled many professional roles, including supporting Marion in his endeavors from coaching to financial planning, being a mother and later a grandmother were her primary passions. A son, Phil, was born four years after Jean. Phil was also a close friend in adulthood, always there for a game of gin or as an excellent chauffeur to take Shirley pretty much anywhere she wanted to go. The young family had memorable long summers at Lake Poinsett and in Kansas before a third child, Todd, came along, six years after Phil. Shirley and the whole family doted on Todd, with Shirley introducing him as “her baby” well into his 50’s.
Shirley was preceded in death by Marion, who passed in 2008. They were able to travel extensively both in the U.S. and abroad after Marion retired from coaching. She enjoyed each of their trips, but loved Paris the most, describing it as “the most beautiful city in the world.” She also loved spending several weeks each summer at their Spearfish Canyon cabin, both before and after Marion passed. Later in life, Shirley continued to keep busy with her family and spent several years dancing and costuming for the Dancing Divas troupe in Sioux Falls. This brought Shirley great happiness as it combined two of the things she enjoyed most in life, dancing and sewing.
In addition to Marion, Shirley is preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Ida Hoffman, along with several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. She is survived by two sisters – Pat Cox and Judy Brink, her three children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Shirley seemed to wake up each day with two goals in mind. One was to live by the example her parents set for her and the other was to set a good example for her own family. She succeeded in those pretty much every day, and in doing so left her mark with us all.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Shirley’s arrangements.