Shirlene Van den Heuvel

KLEMME - Shirlene (Busick) Van den Heuvel  age 79, died on Sunday, July 18, 2021 at MERCYONE Hospital in Mason City, Iowa surrounded by her family. Public Mass of Christian Burial Funeral service will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, July 24, 2021, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1207 3rd Street N.E., Belmond.  Public visitation will be Friday 5-8 PM at the Andrews Funeral Home, 528 East Main St. Klemme, and will continue one hour prior to the services at church Saturday.  Burial will be later at the Ell Township Cemetery, Klemme.  Funeral service will be live streamed Saturday on the Andrews Funeral Home Facebook page at 10:30 AM.  Just like the page to view. 

 

Shirlene was born in Belmond Iowa on June 16, 1942. She was the sixth child of eleven, born to Dale and Alice (McMannus) Busick. Her father was a car mechanic and her mother styed at home to raise the children.

 

She attended Belmond High School where her favorite subjects were Math and English. While in school, she earned extra money detasseling corn, working at her Aunt & Uncle’s mink farm and babysitting the year around.

 

She graduated in 1960.  The same year, she married Larry Ulrich, and moved to Klemme, Iowa. From this union five children were born: two boys (Wendell and Richard) and three girls (Lynetta, Denise and Dawn). To help with the family income, she cooked and sold a lot of cakes from home for all occasions. In 1969, she started working outside the home, first at Winnebago Industries in Forest City, then for Iowa Beef Processors in Mason City,  Iowa as an Office Manager, then for Iowa Mold Tooling in Garner, Iowa where she worked in accounting for 23 Years.

 

In 1983, tragedy struck her family when her son Richard suddenly died while at Buena Vista College, in Storm Lake, Iowa from a heart ailment. Then again, in 1989, her husband Larry passed away.

In 1993, while still at Iowa Mold Tooling, she met her present husband George Van den Heuvel who was Chief Engineer until 1995. They then moved to Michigan City, Indiana where her husband had accepted a new position as Liaison Engineer for Sullair (a manufacturer of screw compressors). As liaison engineer he took many trips to France and sometimes took Shirlene with him to France and Belgium. (These trips were a lot of fun because George speaks fluent French).

 

When her husband retired from his job in Indiana in 2002, they both came back to Iowa, to their home  in Klemme. Shirlene then went back to work for the Garner Chamber of Commerce for the next four years and then worked at NIPCO for four more years while George worked as a bus driver for Opportunity Village in Clear Lake, IA for fourteen more years.  

 

Shirlene loved roller-skating, playing horseshoes and was unbelievably artistic.  All the time she lived in Klemme she was an avid golfer and bowler, where she was recognized with the “Hall of Fame” Award. She was always active in many groups including WanTanYe, VFW Auxiliary, KWGA, and GWGA just to name a few. 

 

IN 2010, Shirlene was diagnosed with stage 4 colon and liver cancer and her health started to deteriorate. In 2019, she had back surgery and lost some more of her mobility which forced her to give up first bowling then golfing, then other activities around the house (but not her enthusiasm for life).

 

Those who have had the privilege of knowing her, remember her, as a very good humored, outgoing and loving wife, mother and grandmother and to everyone she met. She was well known by many for giving hugs and for her love of flowers.  Shirlene had a love for bling, and getting her hair and nails done.  She was a beautiful woman and will be dearly missed.

 

Preceding her in death are her parents: Dale and Alice Busick, husband: Larry Busick a son: Richard Ulrich, one sister: Darlene Baker, and two brothers:  Donald Busick and Harold Busick.

 

Survivors include: Her husband, George Van den Heuvel, Klemme, Iowa;  a son Wendell (Kim) Ulrich, Klemme, Iowa; Lynetta Ulrich, Mason City, Iowa; Denise (Ron )Haberkamp, Garner, Iowa; and Dawn (Jon) Gamerdinger, Garner, Iowa. Three brothers: Darwin Busick,  Haverhill, Mass; Kenny (Carol) Busick, Mason City, Iowa; Doug Busick, Britt, Iowa; Two sisters: Rosetta Busick and special friend Jim Peterson, 

 Lake Cornelia, Iowa, and Ramae Schuver, Belmond, IA and many Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren all in Iowa., along with many nieces and nephews.   Andrews Funeral Home, Klemme, IA.  www.andrewsfuneralhomeandfloral.com  641-587-2510.