Mary Katherine Shellenbarger

Katherine Crane Shellenbarger (Kathie) passed away peacefully to be with her Lord on December 23, 2023, at Joanne’s House in Bonita Springs in the company of her loving husband of 54 years, Dave, after a battle with stage 4 lung cancer that began in August 2020. Kathie was born in Kalamazoo Michigan on August 28, 1947, the daughter of Roger Ernest Crane and Alice Jane Wilson Crane. She is the mother of two sons, Mathew David of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Daniel Aaron, of Glenview Illinois. Also surviving her are her daughter-in-law and good friend, Christy Schaefer Shellenbarger of Glenview as well as three granddaughters, Lila, Trudy, and Samantha, and four grandsons, Ben, Silas, Peter, and Jake, all of whom were loved fiercely by Kathie as she reveled in their successes and achievements. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law. She was pre-deceased by her brother, Michael Roger Crane of Rolesville, NC as well as by his wife and sister-in-law, Anne Elizabeth. She met her husband at Michigan State University where she graduated in three years in 1968 before teaching elementary school in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan. She became the center of household activity with the arrival of her sons, and pursued fitness and bridge while joining with friends to form a dining club that came to be the “Gourmet Group”. Her interest in needlepoint led to a rich collection of elegant pillows, wall hangings, purses, and jewelry cases for her family and friends. An excelling hostess, her “half-full” attitude, industriousness, and cheerful approach to life was a positive influence on family and friends alike. After relocating from Kalamazoo to Rochester Michigan in 1979 she joined St Paul’s United Methodist Church, volunteered in the local Assistance League, and was an active PTA volunteer, soccer, and baseball mom. As her sons became independent, she pursued a Master’s Degree in mental health counseling at Oakland University and worked as a counselor for eight years before retiring with her husband to Bonita Springs and Bonita Bay in 1999. Her golf game steadily improved in retirement, and she actively organized social activities in her Bonita Bay neighborhood while completing visits to all 50 states as well as to over 50 foreign countries. Her friends joined her in golf, bridge, book clubs, and continuing social activities as she was volunteering for New Horizons, Hope Hospice, Bonita Bay Club, and to organize various social events. The many acts of compassion and comfort from family and friends are greatly appreciated, as their gestures and actions brought reassurance and solace to Kathie during her illness. A Celebration of Life service to honor her will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs with a reception following at the Bonita Bay Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Kathie may be made to the Lee Health Foundation or the First Presbyterian Church of Bonita Springs. To sign her guest register or to leave online condolences please visit www.ShikanyFuneralHome.com. Arrangements are being handled by Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home Family Owned and Operated Since 1978.

Mary Katherine Shellenbarger

August 28, 1947 - December 23, 2023