Obituaries
Beverly A Klinger
12/17/1930 - 03/24/2021
Obituary For Beverly A Klinger
It is with great sadness that we share the passing away of our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and
aunt, Beverly Ann Klinger (Shackelford). Beverly passed away from complications of dementia at the age of 90 on March
24, 2021 with her family by her side. Family was important to her. She took great pride in her children, but it was the
grandchildren and great grandchildren that put the smile on her face!
Beverly was known as “Ma Klinger” by her many friends from Casnovia where she worked for many years as a waitress
and cook at the Big Dipper Restaurant. She was easy to talk to and wasn’t afraid to tell you what she really thought.
Beverly loved parties, dancing, cookouts with the family, and sparkles, Lots of Sparkles! Her whole wardrobe sparkled!
Sparkly jewelry was her downfall! Her Aunt Pat owned a jewelry store in Plainwell and whenever she went there, she
would come home with a new sparkly piece of jewelry.
Beverly was a strong, sometimes stubborn, woman. She worked very hard on our farm. One year we planted over 2,500
tomato plants! Most of the time she would be out weeding, picking, and washing the vegetables until dark. She did all
that while trying to raise her 8 children. Not an easy task!
Beverly was preceded in death by her husband, Emil (Bud) Klinger in May of 2005 after 56 years of marriage. Also
proceeding her was her infant son, Amal Klinger, her mother and father, Raymond and Meda Shackelford, her great
granddaughter, Gracen Klinger Scholten, her sister Nancy Funnell, and her nephew, Stephan Funnell. Also, her brother,
Bernard (Monnie) Shackelford, her brothers-in-law, Orville Smith, Donald Weiss, Ray Hilton, Donald Barber, and Robert
Barber, including her mother-in-law, Nellie Bush. She had two sisters-in-law named Carol that preceded her in death, as
well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Beverly is survived by her 8 children: Linda (Bob) Geers, Diane (Mel) Deems, Sheila Jones, Shirley Shoemaker, Fred
(Shelly) Klinger, Heidi (Jeff) Wolbert, Emil (Patty) Klinger Jr, and Eric (Julie) Klinger. Beverly had 19 grandchildren and 33
great grandchildren. Also surviving is her sister, Jean Smith, her brothers, Gary (Betty) Shackelford, William (Bill)
Shackelford, Donald (Butch) Shackelford, sisters-in-law Dorothy Hilton and Gloria Weiss. Surviving also are many aunts,
uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Besides family that cared for Beverly at home, we want to thank two wonderful caregivers, Kirstyn McKellar and Claudia
Singleton. They loved mom and mom loved them. We appreciated their kindness and compassion very much. We also
want to thank Pinky’s Place. They supplied mom with all kinds of necessities for her care. What a generous and
wonderful company!
The family will receive visitors at Hessel Cheslek Funeral Home on Sunday, March 28, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
The funeral service celebrating Beverly’s life will be held at Hessel Cheslek Funeral Home in Sparta on Monday, March
29, 2021 at 11:00 am. Paster Kevin Guetschow will be officiating along with Jeff Wellman as vocalist. Interment will
follow at South Casnovia Cemetery, Kenowa Ave. NW, Casnovia.
In lieu of flowers please consider:
Heartland Hospice 3230 Eagle Park Dr. NE Suite 200 Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Veterans 620 Century Ave. SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Pinky’s Place 4790 Alpine Ave. NW Comstock Park, MI 49321
Shriners Hospital for Children 2211 N Oak Park Ave. Chicago, IL 60707
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