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Chapin, Shirley M.

Shirley M. (Jartz) Chapin, 85, of Auburn, MA passed away peacefully on Monday, April 16, 2018 with her husband and children by her side at the Jewish Healthcare Center in Worcester, MA, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Shirley was born in Wisconsin, daughter of the late Joseph and Amelia Jartz of Clintonville, WI. She was valedictorian of her class at Clintonville High School and graduated with a degree in Education from the University of Minnesota. She met her husband, Robert, at her best friend’s wedding and married in 1959. Shirley joined the work force as an elementary school teacher and enjoyed educating children for several years before she and her husband started a family. At that time, Shirley became a full-time mom and was a devoted caretaker of her family and home. Shirley played an active presence in her children’s lives as a CCD teacher at North American Martyr’s church, a softball coach and a leader of the Camp Fire Girls. When her children were grown, she returned to teaching, becoming a substitute teacher in the Auburn school system for many years. As a woman of faith, Shirley was a member of North American Martyr’s church and played many active roles there. She had a summer home on Cape Cod and spent several weeks every winter in Clearwater, Florida. Shirley was an avid sports fan. She and her husband were season ticket holders of the New England Patriots for years but her first devotion was to Red Sox Nation. She enjoyed baking, gardening and going to beaches on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

She is survived by her husband, Robert J. Chapin; two daughters, Nancy Chapin and Jean Marie Reheuser, and her fiancé, James Wheeler; a son, John Chapin; one grandchild, Alexa Marie Reheuser; a brother, Robert Jartz and his wife, Mary Lynn from Wisconsin; a sister, Theresa Petersen from Colorado and a brother, John Jartz and his wife Kathy Reno from Florida.

Relatives and friends visited with Shirley’s family on Friday, April 20, 2018 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Britton-Wallace Funeral Home, 91 Central Street, Auburn. A funeral Mass for Shirley followed, celebrated at 12 noon at North American Martyr’s Church, 8 Wyoma Drive, Auburn. Burial is in Hillside Cemetery, Auburn. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452. To leave a note of condolence for Shirley’s family or to view her Book of Memories, please visit www.brittonfuneralhomes.com

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