Shirley Marie Mellor

Shirley Marie (Schmitt) Mellor, 77, of Pleasant Hill, passed away unexpectedly Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Shirley was born to Oray and Dorothea (Kemper) Schmitt in 1943 and grew up in rural Colfax. She attended Washington Center Country School until the eighth grade and graduated from Colfax High School in 1961. She was united in marriage to Jerry Joe Mellor in1976 at the Colfax Spiritual Interfaith Center.

Shirley worked at Maytag Corporation for 18 years and retired after 25 years at Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Des Moines. She loved bowling and traveling with friends to numerous state and national tournaments. She was quite proud of her bowling accomplishments, including a 600 series.

Shirley enjoyed many hobbies including gardening, canning, watching rodeos and attending craft shows. She and her husband Jerry also enjoyed spending time with their McDonalds coffee club, card club friends and attending many grandchildren sporting events, dance recitals and concerts. She was extremely proud of her children and grandchildren and loved spending time with them. Shirley was a member of the Eastern Star Lodge in Pleasant Hill and the Prairie City United Methodist Church.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; and brother, Melvin Bissinger. Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 44 years, Jerry of Pleasant Hill; sister, Doris McDaniel of Des Moines; son, Brian (Debbie) Townsend of Prairie City; stepdaughter, DeAnne (Terry) Sesker of Mitchellville; grandchildren, Kelsey (Jarod) Evans of Prairie City, Tyler Townsend of Prairie City, Kaylee Townsend of Prairie City, Abbie Sesker of Mitchellville and Austin Sesker of Mitchellville; great-grandson, Everett Evans of Prairie City; and numerous other family members and friends.

Shirley’s wish was that her body be donated to Des Moines University for research. In lieu of a funeral or memorial service, a family visitation is planned from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 at Coburn Funeral Home in Colfax. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family in Shirley’s name. Condolences may be left for the family at coburnfuneralhomes.com.