Shirley Rae Barnard Drevo was born Dec. 6, 1935, in Beatrice. She died peacefully in her home with family present Oct. 17, 2024 after two hospitalizations for congestive heart failure complications.
She was stricken with rheumatic fever as a child and received life-saving penicillin first available only through the army during World War II. She attended rural school, then Beatrice High School, graduating at age 16 in 1952. She was active in church, school plays, Y-Teens, Yearbook, music and 4-H. She taught rural school briefly before attending Doane college to earn a two-year teaching certificate. At Doane, she was a member of the Omega Psi Theta sorority, Cardinal Key, acted in plays and met husband, Norm Drevo. They married in 1956 after she taught kindergarten in Hastings for one year.
During Shirley’s first pregnancy at age 21, her heart damage surfaced. Heart surgeries were not yet available in Nebraska so she took a prop plane to Mayo Clinic to have one of the first heart surgeries ever performed on a pregnant patient. She went on to have additional surgeries and also had two more children while completing a four-year degree at Doane. She graduated Summa Cum laude in 1969 and started a 22 year career as a second grade teacher at Crete Elementary, receiving the first-ever Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991.
Shirley eventually required an artificial heart valve to be placed in 1980 and overcame breast cancer in1984. She continued to support both the American Cancer Society and American Heart Foundation as a volunteer for many decades. Other volunteer work before and after retirement included teaching Sunday school and bible school, leading a Brownie troop, cooking at the senior center, serving children in the court system as a trained CASA volunteer and participating in Hospital Auxiliary, church and Bible Study. Shirley was also a long-time member of P.E.O., Delta Kappa Gamma, AAUW, MI Club and Crete Wednesday Club for 44 years.
Shirley helped manage 15 rental properties and a 50-lot trailer park with her husband Norm for decades, while also traveling to several world-wide destinations. She was a devoted caregiver to aging relatives and friends herself, making sure they enjoyed holiday dinners which often included homemade pie. Shirley walked daily while her health permitted, sometimes up to two-mile routes. She collected Hummel and angel figurines, school related memorabilia and enjoyed Hallmark movies, novels, crossword puzzles and the Wheel of Fortune. She loved all her daughter’s chow dogs and they loved her.
Shirley wished to express her gratitude to her daughter and family who helped her build a new home and assisted her to live in it for the final twelve years of her life. She enjoyed traveling, attending church, club meetings, events, zoos, museums, festivals and celebrating holidays with her daughter’s family. Shirley hoped to live until Christmas to welcome a new great-granddaughter in December, but could not overcome her kidney failure. Shirley most likely heard her great-grandson chuckling while being read nursery rhymes as her heart came to its final rest.
Shirley is preceded in death by her husband, Norman G. Drevo; grandparents, Will and Elizabeth Barnard, Claude and Amanda Grimes; parents, Elden and Lucille Barnard; in-laws, Adolph and Helen Drevo; brother-in-law, Bruce Bartels; and friends, Mary Ann Kreuscher, Marilyn Kuncl, Marilyn Korinek and others.
Shirley is survived by sister, Elva Bartels of McKinney, Texas; daughter, Cindy Wanek (Alan); sons, Doug Drevo (Karen) of Crete and Todd Drevo (Melanie) of Stonington Connecticut; grandchildren/great-grandchildren, Thomas Wanek (Sarah) and Isaac of Omaha, Lisa Sattler (Barton) of Manchester Connecticut, Will Drevo, Ally Drevo of New York City, New York; and step grandchildren/great grandchildren Karalee (Donny) of Sterling, Colorado, and Kelsy Sanders and Brody of Page, Arizona; friend, Mary Gloor, Beatrice; nieces, nephews and other family/friends.
Visitation is Friday, Oct. 25, from 5 – 7 p.m. at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete. The funeral service will be Saturday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in Crete, followed by a graveside service at Riverside Cemetery and open house gathering from 5 – 8 p.m. at Shirley’s home at 1930 E. 13th St. in Crete. Memorial contributions are suggested to Grace United Methodist Church, Doane University, Crete Hospital, St. Jude Hospital, the Jimmy Carter Foundation or Blue River Community Arts Foundation. Arrangements by Kuncl Funeral Home.
