On Thursday, March 13, 2025, we said our final goodbyes to our beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and good friend, Shirley Stender.
Born August 27, 1936, in Miles City to Adolph and Hilda (Ketterling) Neiffer, Shirley attended the local schools, graduating from Fairfield High School in 1954. She met her forever love, Thomas Stender, in Great Falls and they headed to Reno, NV to be married in 1963. They spent 56 cherished years together prior to his passing in 2019.
The couple was blessed with three children, son, Jonathan and daughters, Nancy and Mary. Shirley attended the Columbus School of Nursing, became a registered nurse, and worked at St. Mary’s in San Francisco and at St. Patrick’s in Missoula, then Columbus and Deaconess Hospitals in Great Falls. She retired from the Great Falls Clinic after working in the Allergy Department for 22 years.
When she wasn’t busy with work, she enjoyed reading, journaling, walking and traveling. She was a devout woman, attending masses at St. Ann’s Cathedral for many years.
She will be greatly missed by her son, Jonathan T. Stender (Beachwood, OH); daughters, Nancy M. Stender (Albuquerque, NM) and Mary C. Sturtevant (Covington, GA); sister, Jody Stortz; brother, Junior Neiffer; grandchildren, Ian Stender, Theo Redpath, Alex Gibson, Katherine Sturtevant, Mackenzie Sturtevant, Austin Sturtevant, Conor Sturtevant and Abigail Sturtevant.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
