Shirley Ann Reniger

Age 82, of Grayling, passed away on February 25, 2011, following a long illness.

Shirley was born on May 14, 1928 in Adamsville, New York to Stanley and Hazel (Griffin) Cummings.  She grew up in the Adirondack mountain region of upstate New York, graduating from Warrensburg High School and attended Michigan State University, where she met her husband, Henry A. Reniger, Jr.

Married on October 1, 1948, Henry and Shirley lived in East Lansing where they raised their three sons.  Shirley was an active member of The Peoples Church and was both a patron and a board member of the East Lansing Public Library, where she played a key role in the planning, development and construction of the city’s permanent stand-alone public library.  She also owned and operated The Thimbleberry Shop, a needlepoint shop in East Lansing.  After Henry’s retirement from the Reniger Construction Company, they moved to Grayling.

After arriving in Grayling, she was very active in the Devereaux Crawford County Library and the Crawford County Head Start program.  Shirley was a key member of the County’s Literacy Board, which sponsored youth reading programs and distributed books for children to take home.  Shirley’s favorite children’s book was the Dr. Seuss classic “Are You My Mother.” She actively recruited public officials such as county sheriffs, judges, county commissioners and even Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor to read at Grayling’s Head Start reading programs.

Shirley is survived by three sons, Hal, Brian and John, and three grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2011 at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel in downtown Lansing.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the East Lansing Public Library.

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