Shirley L. Ator

Shirley L. Ator, age 49, of Oquawka, passed away at 9:40 p.m., Wednesday, December 29, 2010 in rural LaHarpe, Illinois. Shirley was born on January 17, 1961 in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri while her father was serving in the United States Army. She graduated from Griggsville High School in 1979 and later graduated from Nursing School as a precursor to her 22-years of employment with Hope Haven in Burlington, Iowa. She made a comfortable and loving home for her children in Oquawka, Illinois. Shirley knew no stranger and was loved by all those she met. Shirley enjoyed a sense of adventure, was a sports fanatic, enjoyed teasing and playing practical jokes, loved to read and walk about the lake near Oquawka. This is an enormous loss to her family and many friends. We will eventually accept that she has left us to be at peace and leave behind the heavy burdens she must have carried. She is survived by her two children Christopher and Elisha Ator; parents Jean Arthur Pleus of Curryville, MO and Connie L. Sappington and David Sappington, step-father of Pittsfield, IL; five brothers: Jay (Jenifer), Gary (Sherry), Roger (Andi), Drake and Brandon (Jessica); and three sisters: Stella (David), Jackie (JJ) and Janeice; several aunts and uncles including Dan Miller of Griggsville, IL and numerous nieces and nephews. Services:A funeral service will be at 11:30 a.m., Monday, January 3, 2011, at the Turnbull Funeral Home in Oquawka. Her family will be present to receive friends from 10:00 a.m. till the time of the service at the funeral home. Cremation will be accorded following the service. Interment or her ashes will be at a later date in the Swiggert Cemetery in New Salem, Illinois. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established by her family. For more information please visit, www.turnbullfuneralhomes.com.