Shirley Mae (Huch) Luecke

Shirley Mae Luecke died on Wednesday, April 27 in Houston, Texas after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She was 86 years young.

Shirley was born on Oct. 5, 1929 in St. Louis, MO. She was the first child of Elmer and Frieda Huch.

After graduating from Roosevelt High School in St. Louis in 1948, Shirley went to work for Brown Shoe Company as a filing clerk. Sometime later, her Aunt Eva (Stumpf), who worked for Anheuser-Busch, told her about a job opening there, and the rest was history. While attending an orientation meeting, she met a guy named Frank Luecke who eventually swept her off her feet. They married on July 25, 1953 and together raised eight children.

For the first 22 years of their marriage, Frank and Shirley lived mostly in St. Louis with a couple of brief moves to Memphis and Chicago. Shirley was a dedicated wife, mother and homemaker. And according to her kids, she was an awesome Mom! In Sept. 1974, Frank bought Tommy's Distributing Company in Poplar Bluff. Eric and Kurt followed Frank in Jan. 1975, then Shirley and the rest of the kids moved to PB the following summer.

Frank died on Oct. 12, 1984 at the age of 53. Shirley went on to continue raising her family and enjoying all the grandkids that kept on coming. She has 23 grandkids and 15 great-grandkids. Shirley was an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, a member of the St. Ann Society and the school board.

Shirley loved animals, birds and the beauty of nature. She always had a dog and was known for taking in stray cats and giving them a home in her cooled and heated garage. She also had a fondness for the American Indians and their culture. In her later years, she loved to travel with her kids, see the countryside and enjoy the journey.

Shirley moved to Houston in Nov. 2010 to live with her daughter Joan Boyer. In Dec. 2013, she moved into AutumnGrove Cottage, an Alzheimer's Care Home, where she lived out her days with the love and tender support of many kind caregivers.

Shirley is survived by her seven children: Jan (Bob) Leible and Mary (Tommy) Armes of Poplar Bluff, Joan (Carl) Boyer and Eric (Carol) Luecke of Houston, Karl (Lisa) Luecke of Long Beach, CA, Teresa Luecke Smith of St. Louis and Carolyn (Kelley) Lackey of Emporia, KS. She is also survived by two brothers, Gene (Barb) Huch of Centerville, OH and Ron (Barb) Huch of Los Gatos, CA.

In addition to her husband and parents, Shirley was preceded in death by her son, Kurt on Sept. 12, 2014.

A Prayer Service will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 6 with visitation following until 8 p.m. at Cotrell Funeral Chapel, 701 Vine St., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 123 N 8th St., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 with Father William Hodgson officiating. Burial will follow at the Catholic Cemetery (Butler St. and S.11th St).

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.cotrellfuneralservice.com.

Memorials in honor of Shirley can be made to the Sacred Heart School Playground Fund, 111 N. 8th St. Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 or the Alzheimer's Association, 1630 W. Elfindale St., Springfield, MO 65807-1286.