Shirley Mura McGlinn

Shirley

There
is this woman, her name is Shirley.

She
has left us and, yet, she remains.

She
remains with us in the lives of her family,

Her
husband, Bob, who calls her “the love of my life,”

In
the lives of her beloved children, Matthew and Maura,

And
Maura’s husband, Allen,

And
in the lives of her cherished grandchildren, Riana and Joshua and Eva

Who
filled her life with so much joy as she did theirs.

In
all of these lives that have been shaped so deeply, so beautifully

By
Shirley, she remains with us far into the future.

She
remains with us in the lives of her original family,

Her
Dad, her loving sisters and brother, all of her extended family,

Her
sister Mary Helen, who was her soulmate and such a comfort to her

And
in all of our memories of her beautiful and dear mother.

She
remains with us in the lives of her close and devoted friends,

In
the lives of the staff members in the Pre-Med program at SIU,

Her
dear friend and collaborator in the program, Evelyn Jackson,

And
in the lives of all the members of her extended McGlinn family

Who
came to know and love her as one of their precious own.

In
all of these lives that she enriched so greatly

With
her intelligence, her wit, her beauty, and her love,

She
remains with us.

There
is this woman, her name is Shirley Mcglinn, the teacher.

She
has left us and, yet, she remains.

She
remains with us in the lives of the countless students that she

Taught
and inspired as they have gone out and continue to go out into the world to heal.

It
has been said of her that she was the consummate teacher,

A
teacher who not only was so highly skilled in the art of academic instruction,

But
a teacher who was an example and mentor to her students in so many ways,

In
ways of caring, in ways of honesty, in ways of persevering, in ways of loving.

A
teacher honored over and over and over again by her students

And
recognized by her peers time and time again for her creativity and excellence.

Her
legacy with the young men and women she taught is so deep, so lasting,

She
will be with us far, far into the future as they live out their lives.

There
is this woman, her name is Shirley Mura McGlinn.

It
truly can be said that she made the world a better place.

This
remarkable, beloved woman, our dear Shirley, has died,

And, yet, she lives.

She
taught us how to live joyfully and with purpose.

She

lives on in all of our lives.

By Mary O’Leary McGlinn

Shirley Mura McGlinn (age 68) passed away peacefully on December 24 at home with her family by her side.

The Leavenworth Times – Leavenworth, KS

Shirley Mura McGlinn (age 68) passed away peacefully on December 24 at home with her family by her side. Shirley was born October 7, 1944 to George and Virginia Mura in Leavenworth, Kansas and was raised by Virginia and Ralph Rodgers Junior. In 1965 she married Bob McGlinn in Leavenworth. They were married for 47 years and raised their family in Carbondale, Illinois.
Shirley was devoted to her family and especially loved playing, laughing, reading and doing crafts with her three grandchildren. She cherished time spent with her children who brought her great joy. Shirley and Bob were avid sports fans and attended Saluki athletic events for over 40 years.
Shirley graduated from Immaculata High School (1962) and St. Mary College (1966) in Leavenworth, Kansas. She was awarded a National Science Foundation teaching fellowship at Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, Kansas for the 1966-67 academic year. She earned her Master’s degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1975. She taught at Southern Illinois University, first as a teaching assistant and then as an instructor, for 39 years. Her passion for teaching and dedication to her students resulted in thirteen teaching awards in her department MEDPREP and the School of Medicine, as well as the Outstanding Term Faculty for the entire SIUC campus in 2007. Shirley also developed the Milestone Ceremony at MEDPREP, which is patterned after the white coat ceremony used at all medical schools. Shirley collaborated with colleague and good friend, Evelyn W. Jackson, on many educational projects and workshops around the country.
In 2011 Shirley was inducted into the Immaculata High School Hall of Fame in Leavenworth and selected as SIH Star Cancer Survivor.
She was preceded in death by parents, George Mura and Virginia Rodgers. Survivors include her father, Ralph Rodgers, her husband Bob McGlinn, son Matthew McGlinn, daughter Maura Webb, son-in-law Allen Webb, three grandchildren (Riana McGlinn, Eva Webb, and Joshua McGlinn), sister Mary Helen Owens, brother-in-law John Owens, sister Patty Rodgers, and brother Buddy Rodgers. Other survivors include Mary and Walt Datwyler, Dick and Elaine McGlinn, Bill and Louise McGlinn, and Ed and Judy McGlinn.
Shirley was particularly grateful for all of the support she received from her family, her extended families, friends and students during her life and during her battle with cancer. Her family extends the warmest thanks for the excellent care provided by her oncologist at Barnes West County in Creve Coeur, Missouri, Dr. Michael Naughton and his excellent staff as well as Dr. Aliperti and his staff at Missouri Baptist Hospital in Saint Louis. The family also extends a special thank you to her nurse from TIP Hospice, India Walker, for the gentle and loving care she provided Shirley.
A celebration of life will be held at Riverfront Community Center on Friday, January 4 at 7 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shirley McGlinn Scholarship Endowment at the Southern Illinois University Foundation (Carbondale, Illinois 62901), the Shirley Mura ’62 McGlinn Scholarship at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, Kansas (Administration Office, 320 N Broadway, Leavenworth, KS 66048), or the American Cancer Society.

Who’s Been Eating My Corn?

By Shirley

Once upon a time The McGlynn visited the rural country of beautiful southern Illinois. One of his princesses from the north had sent corn with him to attract squirrels. As the kingdoms of north and south, and around the world all know, The McGlynn is nuts about squirrels, especially his grey army.

The Elder McGlynn shared the corn with his Younger brother, the skeptic. In true family fashion the Elder and Younger brothers discussed the merits of corn in attracting animals. The Younger argued that the corn would draw deer into the yard, which in turn would eat the lovely plants, trees and grasses that the Younger has groomed. The Elder, of course, disputed the contentions of his Younger sibling. These brothers provided daily entertainment for the quiet Jester who was filled with internal merriment with the debates each day.

At last, during the argument phase, an important observation was made. There was evidence that the corn had been nibbled on during the night. Days of opinion sharing had not resolved the conflict.

Who was eating the corn?

Hypotheses:

The Elder: “If it is not a squirrel, then it is a raccoon.”

The Younger: “It’s a deer.”

The Jester: “Perhaps it’s a cat.”

Experimentation was needed. Fortunately, the Lover of the Elder had sent a wildlife camera to capture the night life in the south. The Wildview digital camera had never been used and came without a manual. The Younger brother, as would be expected, searched the internet for detailed instructions on the operation of the equipment. Scouting the corn eaters would require the proper resolution, timing, distance and image settings.

Night 1 of experiment:,

No corn was eaten; no pictures were taken by the infra-red camera. Conclusion: Camera settings need to be adjusted.

Night 2 about 2:04 AM:

A large mass was captured on the camera. The next day the Brothers found it difficult to determine the identity. Based on the size, the Younger was sure it was not a deer. The Elder maintained his raccoon hypothesis. The Jester was quiet. Conclusion: Adjust distance of camera for night 3.

Unbeknownst to the brothers the Jester had donned a hoodie and with the help of a stuffed papa bear and a reaching tool with extender, had triggered the camera at 2:04 AM. The blurred image was the big papa bear.

Night 3 No activity

Night 4 about 3:53 AM. A furry mass triggered the camera. After the next morning’s thorough examination of the photo both the Elder and the Younger concluded it was a squirrel. The Elder based his identification on the fur and long tail. Although the skeptical Younger brother agreed that the critter was a squirrel, he was not totally satisfied with the experiment. Conclusion by the Jester: “One sees what one expects to see!”.

During night 4 at 3:53 AM the Jester had donned her hoodie again, and with the aid of a stuffed mamma bear, triggered the camera. An unexpected event occurred as the hooded Jester was climbing a small fence, carrying mamma bear and a reaching tool. A car pulled up in front of the house so the lights highlighted the Jester. Oh my! The Jester hid behind a tree, hoping she would not be seen as a prowler. Whew. It was the newspaper delivery. No sirens.

Night 5 at 2:15 AM

The Younger had set the camera 30 feet from the corn and set the video to be activated by motion. The Jester was unaware of the newest settings. On night 4 at 2 AM the Jester used the ‘Baby Bear” to “eat the corn” and try to trigger the camera. To stay out of range of the camera she had to slip through a fence and get behind a tree, extend the baby bear to the corn. The corn swung back and forth. No camera action. The baby bear jumped up and down at the corn. No camera action. The Jester slipped back through the fence and helped the baby bear attack the corn from the opposite side. Yikes! The camera came on… and stayed on. The video was focused on an area away from the corn. It was filming the Jester. BUSTED!

Night 6

The corn was eaten. The next morning the three little bears, who were nowhere around during night 6 , wanted to know “Who’s been eating my corn?”

Night 7

Could it be a Raccoon?

Night 8

No Activity

The unanswered questions will await the next visit from The McGlynn. Rumor has it that the Elder is trekking north to resume his recently abdicated reign over the northern country. Perhaps his gentle and supportive behavior while in the south will qualify him for resuming his sovereign status.

To be continued

Continued