Shirley Carothers passed away April 14, 2022, at her home in Loveland, Colorado.
She was born August 5, 1924, and grew up during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Days, on a farm near Holstein, Nebraska.
She was one of 11 children born to John Joseph and Hannah Malzena Best Kral.
Life on the farm was primitive with no running water, heat or electricity.
Shirley worked hard on the farm and attended school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from the 8th grade.
She couldn't attend high school since the high school was in nearby Holstein and the horse she would need to ride to get there didn't like to walk on the gravel roads.
She left home as a teenager to care for an elderly couple. Then she moved to another farm providing the management and labor herself.
Then, to make more money, Shirley moved to nearby Hastings to work at a 24/7 Truck Stop Cafe for $0.17 per hour.
Before WWII, Shirley met the love of her life, Clarence W. "Bart" Barth. They married and two weeks later he was drafted into the Army. During WWII, he served as an airplane mechanic in Europe. They were separated 3 years.
The happiest day of her life was in 1945 when the Western front was won and Bart returned to her.
Shirley and Bart made their home in Hastings, Nebraska and had 4 children. Bart unexpectedly died from a stroke in 1956.
Shirley raised the 4 children alone, encouraging their education. She especially passed on her love of nature and science.
After Shirley's oldest son left home for college, she and the other 3 children moved to Southern California for better opportunities.
Shirley and Bart's children were the first on both sides of the family to graduate from college, mainly with degrees in engineering, medicine, and chemistry.
In California, Shirley took college classes in electronics and worked on the keyboards for the first Apple computers.
She knew Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the founders of Apple Computers, personally.
Shirley married her second husband, James Carothers in 1989 and was once again widowed.
Shirley survived her parents and 10 brothers and sisters.
Shirley greatly loved God, her family and her church.
She will be buried next to Bart and near her parents in the Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, Nebraska.
She was born August 5, 1924, and grew up during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Days, on a farm near Holstein, Nebraska.
She was one of 11 children born to John Joseph and Hannah Malzena Best Kral.
Life on the farm was primitive with no running water, heat or electricity.
Shirley worked hard on the farm and attended school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from the 8th grade.
She couldn't attend high school since the high school was in nearby Holstein and the horse she would need to ride to get there didn't like to walk on the gravel roads.
She left home as a teenager to care for an elderly couple. Then she moved to another farm providing the management and labor herself.
Then, to make more money, Shirley moved to nearby Hastings to work at a 24/7 Truck Stop Cafe for $0.17 per hour.
Before WWII, Shirley met the love of her life, Clarence W. "Bart" Barth. They married and two weeks later he was drafted into the Army. During WWII, he served as an airplane mechanic in Europe. They were separated 3 years.
The happiest day of her life was in 1945 when the Western front was won and Bart returned to her.
Shirley and Bart made their home in Hastings, Nebraska and had 4 children. Bart unexpectedly died from a stroke in 1956.
Shirley raised the 4 children alone, encouraging their education. She especially passed on her love of nature and science.
After Shirley's oldest son left home for college, she and the other 3 children moved to Southern California for better opportunities.
Shirley and Bart's children were the first on both sides of the family to graduate from college, mainly with degrees in engineering, medicine, and chemistry.
In California, Shirley took college classes in electronics and worked on the keyboards for the first Apple computers.
She knew Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the founders of Apple Computers, personally.
Shirley married her second husband, James Carothers in 1989 and was once again widowed.
Shirley survived her parents and 10 brothers and sisters.
Shirley greatly loved God, her family and her church.
She will be buried next to Bart and near her parents in the Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, Nebraska.
Shirley Carothers passed away April 14, 2022, at her home in Loveland, Colorado.
She was born August 5, 1924, and grew up during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Days, on a farm near Holstein, Nebraska.
She was one of 11 children born to John Joseph and Hannah Malzena Best Kral.
Life on the farm was primitive with no running water, heat or electricity.
Shirley worked hard on the farm and attended school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from the 8th grade.
She couldn't attend high school since the high school was in nearby Holstein and the horse she would need to ride to get there didn't like to walk on the gravel roads.
She left home as a teenager to care for an elderly couple. Then she moved to another farm providing the management and labor herself.
Then, to make more money, Shirley moved to nearby Hastings to work at a 24/7 Truck Stop Cafe for $0.17 per hour.
Before WWII, Shirley met the love of her life, Clarence W. "Bart" Barth. They married and two weeks later he was drafted into the Army. During WWII, he served as an airplane mechanic in Europe. They were separated 3 years.
The happiest day of her life was in 1945 when the Western front was won and Bart returned to her.
Shirley and Bart made their home in Hastings, Nebraska and had 4 children. Bart unexpectedly died from a stroke in 1956.
Shirley raised the 4 children alone, encouraging their education. She especially passed on her love of nature and science.
After Shirley's oldest son left home for college, she and the other 3 children moved to Southern California for better opportunities.
Shirley and Bart's children were the first on both sides of the family to graduate from college, mainly with degrees in engineering, medicine, and chemistry.
In California, Shirley took college classes in electronics and worked on the keyboards for the first Apple computers.
She knew Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the founders of Apple Computers, personally.
Shirley married her second husband, James Carothers in 1989 and was once again widowed.
Shirley survived her parents and 10 brothers and sisters.
Shirley greatly loved God, her family and her church.
She will be buried next to Bart and near her parents in the Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, Nebraska.
She was born August 5, 1924, and grew up during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Days, on a farm near Holstein, Nebraska.
She was one of 11 children born to John Joseph and Hannah Malzena Best Kral.
Life on the farm was primitive with no running water, heat or electricity.
Shirley worked hard on the farm and attended school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from the 8th grade.
She couldn't attend high school since the high school was in nearby Holstein and the horse she would need to ride to get there didn't like to walk on the gravel roads.
She left home as a teenager to care for an elderly couple. Then she moved to another farm providing the management and labor herself.
Then, to make more money, Shirley moved to nearby Hastings to work at a 24/7 Truck Stop Cafe for $0.17 per hour.
Before WWII, Shirley met the love of her life, Clarence W. "Bart" Barth. They married and two weeks later he was drafted into the Army. During WWII, he served as an airplane mechanic in Europe. They were separated 3 years.
The happiest day of her life was in 1945 when the Western front was won and Bart returned to her.
Shirley and Bart made their home in Hastings, Nebraska and had 4 children. Bart unexpectedly died from a stroke in 1956.
Shirley raised the 4 children alone, encouraging their education. She especially passed on her love of nature and science.
After Shirley's oldest son left home for college, she and the other 3 children moved to Southern California for better opportunities.
Shirley and Bart's children were the first on both sides of the family to graduate from college, mainly with degrees in engineering, medicine, and chemistry.
In California, Shirley took college classes in electronics and worked on the keyboards for the first Apple computers.
She knew Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the founders of Apple Computers, personally.
Shirley married her second husband, James Carothers in 1989 and was once again widowed.
Shirley survived her parents and 10 brothers and sisters.
Shirley greatly loved God, her family and her church.
She will be buried next to Bart and near her parents in the Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, Nebraska.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
See more Barth Carothers or Kral memorials in:
- Parkview Cemetery Barth Carothers or Kral
- Hastings Barth Carothers or Kral
- Adams County Barth Carothers or Kral
- Nebraska Barth Carothers or Kral
- USA Barth Carothers or Kral
- Find a Grave Barth Carothers or Kral
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
