Shirley Ann (Schuler) Tennyson, 81, of Brookings, passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.  

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, at the First Lutheran Church in Brookings, beginning at 10:30 a.m.  

Interment will be at First Lutheran Cemetery in Volga, South Dakota.  A time of visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, from 5 until 7 p.m. at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings.

 Shirley was born on May 25, 1938, to Jacob and Emelia (Eisenbraun) Schuler in Wasta.  She received her education in Quinn.  On Nov. 4, 1955, Shirley married Larry Tennyson in Canton. 

 Shirley and Larry spent their early married life in western South Dakota and Nebraska while Larry worked in public education. They eventually moved to Pierre where they raised their children.  They moved to Brookings in 1978.  Shirley worked for Evenson’s Hallmark in Brookings, a job she truly enjoyed and made many friends among her coworkers and customers.  After retirement, she enjoyed her time volunteering at the Brookings Hospital gift shop and for Meals on Wheels. She was especially known for her beautiful flower gardens.  Shirley and Larry enjoyed traveling, especially to the Black Hills where they enjoyed entertaining their children and grandchildren around the campfire with stories of family and childhood memories.   

 After Larry passed away in 2000, Shirley continued staying busy with gardening, water aerobics, shopping, reading and a treasured trip to Ireland with childhood friend, Joanne Oltmanns.  

However, her passion was dancing, sometimes as much as four times a week! She even went on the Mollie B Polka Cruise where she two-stepped her way through the Caribbean.  

She was a member of First Lutheran Church in Brookings. Shirley will be remembered for her sweet personality and devotion to her family and friends.  

Survivors include her daughter, Kim Sheppard of Madison; grandchildren, Chris (Hanna) Henslin, Stephanie (Colton) Wendland, Eric (Caitlin) Sheppard, Tenis K. Tennyson; great-grandchildren, Cailyn, Carston, Leah, Ryder, Breklynn, Kalan; her sister-in-law, Arva Schuler; and many nieces and nephews.  Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter, LeAnn Henslin; son, Tenis Tennyson; and three brothers, Leonard, Eugene and Norman.