Shirley Therese Luft
ESCANABA — Shirley Therese Luft, 87, of Escanaba, formerly of Powers/Spalding area, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 after a short illness. The former Shirley T. Sarasin was born on Nov. 26, 1932 to the late Joseph and Eva (LaCrosse) Sarasin in Escanaba, MI.
Shirley was united in marriage to Gordon R. Luft on Nov. 8, 1958 in Escanaba. They were married for 48 years before Gordon passed away on Feb. 16, 2007. They spent most of their married life in the Powers/Spalding area. They were members of the St. Francis/St. John Neumann Catholic Church.
After her children were grown, Shirley loved babysitting children, and worked at Pinecrest Medical Care Facility in Powers where she retired from the Housekeeping Dept. She enjoyed playing bingo, gardening, putting together puzzles, and playing cards with her friends at West Highland Apartments.
Shirley is survived by her six children and their spouses, Joseph (Paula) Luft, of Mequon, Wis., Paul (Kathleen) Luft, of Fort Myers, Fla., Joan (Carl) Baker of Kalamazoo, Mich., Judy (Joseph) Hebert of South Lyon, Mich., John (Shannen) Luft of Escanaba, and Sandy (Brian) Schafer of Pleasant Lake, Mich. She is also survived by her 15 grandchildren, Brian Luft, Becky Luft, Daniel Luft, Craig Luft, Brent Luft, Samantha (Wes) Grundemann, Emily (Bobby) McDonald, Carl (Sophia) Baker, Sarah (Ryan) Casady, Alex Hebert, Kyle (Jaclyn) Luft, Avery Luft, Trent Luft, Matthew Romanek, and Brandon Romanek. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Elliott McDonald and Ivan Grundemann, and another Baby McDonald due in March. Shirley is survived by three brothers and one sister and their spouses, Joseph Sarasin, Joyce Sheffer, Jim (Judy) Sarasin, and Phillip (Marilyn) Sarasin. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Shirley was predeceased by her husband, Gordon; her parents; and siblings, Pearl Shreve, Ann Mae Gardiner, and Stanley Sarasin.
Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at St. Anne Catholic Church in Escanaba. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Saturday with Father Fran DeGroot officiating. Burial will follow the funeral services in the Spalding Township Cemetery.
The Anderson Funeral Homes are assisting the Luft family and online condolences can be sent at www.andersonfuneralhomes.net.