Shirley I Lidtke

Shirley I. Lidtke, 93, formerly of Manistee, died Tuesday, October 11, 2022, in Oshkosh, WI. She was born March 19, 1929, in Grand Rapids, MI, the daughter of Carl and Gladys (Land) Townsend. She graduated from Manistee High School with the Class of 1946. She married William H. Lidtke on March 11, 1950, at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Manistee. Shirley

remained a member of St. Paul’s until she moved to Oshkosh, WI, in 2015. Shirley was a lifelong lover of birds and gardening. For many years she and Bill took great pride in the gardens that surrounded their home. She also enjoyed crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and a good game of Scrabble. Shirley was a wonderful wife and mother.

She is survived by her daughter, Karla Lidtke of Kalamazoo; sons, Craig Lidtke (Mark Stoddard) of Grand Rapids and Pastor Paul (Stacey) Lidtke of Oshkosh, WI; grandchildren, Eric (Tara) Hilliard, Lindsay Hilliard, Nicholas (Megan) Hilliard, Bryan Lidtke and Kate Lidtke; 7 greatgrandchildren; her sister, Letha Gillespie; sister-in-law, Joyce Townsend; and brother-in-law, Louis (Carol) Lidtke of Onekama, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She is further survived by longtime neighbors, Rick, and Rose Smejkal, who provided friendship and help for Shirley, especially in the years after Bill’s death.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a daughter Susan in 1954, and a son Kim in 1961; two sisters, Charlotte Norkus and Jeri Dyson; two brothers, C. Jay Townsend, and Milo (Mike) Townsend; and a nephew, Donovan Wallace.

Private graveside services will be held at a later date in Oak Grove Cemetery in

Manistee. Memorials may be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, in

her name.