Shirley Helen Phelps

Shirley Helen Phelps, age 88, of Bayard, IA, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 25, 2025 at Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids, IA.

Memorial services will be held at 1 P.M. on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at the United Methodist Church in Bayard with Carolyn Schwartz, Pastor, officiating. Inurnment will follow the service at Highland Township Cemetery near Bayard.

A visitation and brunch will be held in the fellowship hall of the United Methodist Church in Bayard on Saturday from 11 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. prior to the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Bayard Public Library or the Bayard United Methodist Church.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

Shirley was born on April 12,1937 to Herman & Bertha Armstrong Ruhde in Manning, Iowa. She loved the small-town community that she shared with her older sister Beverly & younger brother Craig. When talking about her childhood, she loved to tell stories about her hard-working parents, her dad’s commitment to building their home, and the time they spent living at the parsonage next to the church with their dear friend and pastor Brown Garlock. She graduated in 1955 from Manning High School where she enjoyed marching band, choir, church activities and working at the dime store.

Shirley worked as support staff at Camp Dodge, a church camp, where she met Gene, and their love story began. They got married in December of 1956 and moved to a home near Gene’s family farm, where she dedicated herself to becoming a farm wife. A self-proclaimed “city kid,” she nevertheless dove into learning everything from gardening and preserving to taking care of chickens. She learned to sew, darn, bake and even how to herd calves away from the road. She and Gene were a great team, loved to laugh, and felt great satisfaction in the warm and comfortable home they created for their family. Together they had four wonderful children - Mark, David, Danny, and Elaine - whom Shirley and Gene absolutely adored.

At her core, Shirley was a woman of faith who loved people and took every opportunity to give of herself to things she cared about. In church, she and Gene were youth group leaders early in their marriage. She taught Sunday School, was active in United Methodist Women, mission activities, Bible studies, choir, and prayer groups. In retirement, they also traveled to UMCOR Sager Brown in Louisiana many times to volunteer their skills.

Working in her kitchen was one of her favorite ways to give to others. Shirley always had enough supplies in the pantry to bake bread, throw together a casserole, or prepare a dessert or salad to take to friends and neighbors. She was never short of cookies in the freezer if someone stopped by for coffee! She hosted parties and family get-togethers at the farm, and loved to quietly draw her circle wider. If you became a friend, you were one for life, and if you were friends with her children, you were part of the family.

Education was important to Shirley. She worked behind the scenes for 20+ years in the Bayard School System and then for CR-B at Deal Elementary following consolidation. She patiently supported the administration, teachers, staff, and the students by working behind the scenes. She often recalled running countless numbers of mimeographs (by hand) and reveled in modern technology when she finally got a copy machine. She loved to proofread so that everything that went out from the school looked its best. On top of that, she punched an estimated 1 million+ lunch punches while she was school secretary!

Shirley was an active part of her community. She belonged to the TTT Women’s Organization, was a dedicated 4-H leader, assisted in planning the Bayard All-Alumni Reunion, her Manning class reunion, and helped put together the Bayard Centennial Cookbook. After retiring, she had even more opportunities to be involved: in church, at the library, and in the craft-show vendor circuit. In 15 years of “Silver Memories,” Gene and Shirley found great joy in locating antique treasures and sharing memories through their silverware creations. Retirement allowed her to travel more, learn to crochet, watch birds in her flower garden, and keep tabs on her kids and their families.

She endured many difficult things in her life, but she wasn’t afraid to share her grief or to walk alongside other people who were struggling. In her faith, she believed that God would make good of all things, and she lived out that belief with unending grace, strength and resilience. Even with her journey through dementia over the last few years, she retained her love of people: telling stories, finding beauty in nature together, and having a laugh.

Shirley will be remembered for her kind heart and her sweet, gentle, wise and loving spirit.  She has also been described as a wonderful treasure, a genuine and faith-filled person, and an anchor for her family.

Shirley was greeted in heaven by the love of her life Gene, son Danny, her parents, sister Beverly Butler, brothers-in-law Don Butler & Dick Mincey, and parents-in-law Arthur & Gertrude Phelps.

The souls left to celebrate her life and cherish her memory are her children Mark (Judi) Phelps, Dave (Noel) Phelps, Elaine (Mike) Capek, grandchildren Megan (Jordan) Derhammer Capek, Nathan Capek, Ethan Phelps, Kelsey (JJ) Burrill, Sydney Phelps & Grace Phelps, her brother Craig (Karyl) Ruhde, nieces and nephews, many relatives, and countless friends whose lives she touched.