Elaine Shelley

Elaine Shelley passed away on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

Funeral Services: Will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2012, 4:00 p.m. at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield with burial in the Greenfield Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the burial at the Fairview Congregational Christian Church south of Stuart.

Family Visitation: The family will greet friends on Friday, June 8th, at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Memorials: To the Elaine Shelley memorial fund to be established by the family.

Dorothea "Elaine" Shelley was born on December 8th 1933, in a small farm house four miles south of Dexter and ¼ mile west, to Paul Wulff and Hanna (Lilly) Wulff. Elaine passed away after a long battle with diabetes and kidney failure on June 6th 2012, at the age of 78 years old. She longed to return to the side of her life-long sweetheart, Paul Shelley who passed in December of 1995.

In 1943 Elaine and family moved to what she commonly referred to as the “Big Place”, nine and one-half miles south of Dexter on the Madison-Adair County line. She attended elementary school at Penn #4 and Jackson #4 until age: 17 when they moved again. Still on the Madison-Adair County line, but one and one-half miles south of Hwy 92, near Stanzel. Elaine attended Greenfield High School in her junior and senior year and graduated in 1952.

Growing up Elaine loved running races and she entered many at the local county fairs. Her parents were always amazed that she could sail off those back stairs, beat it to the barn and clear the banister on the way back without taking out the screen door. Elaine’s work ethic began young as she was in charge of washing the dishes until she got old enough to help with the chores. She loved going out and getting the cows up. The neighbors would comment as to how they could hear her singing all the way to their house. She didn’t mind the chicken chores or getting the cobs and firewood for the furnace.

Elaine had met Paul Dwight Shelley at the roller skating rink in Stuart in August of 1950 and a long relationship blossomed. Paul entered the military and was sent to Korea but during his Christmas leave, on December 24th 1951, he and Elaine were united in marriage. To this marriage, three sons were born, Donald Paul, Delbert Earl, and Brian Allison. Paul finished with the military in April 1953.

In March of 1961 they rented the Cora Dorn farm five and one-half miles south of Menlo. Elaine remembered that the flowers were blooming through the snow covering on the ground. In 1981 they moved one mile west, where Paul had built a landing strip for their Cessena 182 RG. They purchased their final home in DeSoto in 1987, after Paul’s passing Elaine began to struggle with her health and in November of 2010 moved to the Centerville Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Elaine was not only a devoted mother of three boys, but a strong farmhand, and loving wife. She cherished being a grandmother and great-grandmother.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents Paul and Hanna (Lilly) Wulff, Paul’s parents Allison and Mable (Hadley) Shelley, her husband Paul, son Delbert, sister Nelda.

She leaves to mourn her passing Donald and Barb (Clayton) Shelley of Earlham, Rosie (Nuzum) Shelley of Kimballton, and Brian and Cindy (Lents) Shelley of Corydon; 10 grandchildren, Christopher and wife Amy, Thomas and wife Leah, Travis and special friend Robin, Timothy and wife Amber, Richard and wife Emily, Jeremy and wife Audrey, Matthew and special friend Tara, Summer, Shane and wife Lori, and Tereasa; 19 great-grandchildren; Elaine’s sister, Wanda Welch of Macksburg and brother, Paul Wulff Jr. of Moravia, many nieces, nephews, family and friends.