Shirley Ann Curcio

Shirley Ann Curcio died peacefully at home on August 29, 2022, one month shy of her 90th birthday. She was born in Shawano, WI to Louis and Theresa (Dillenberg) Kroll on September 29, 1932. Her childhood was spent in idyllic small-town Cecil, WI. After high school graduation, she set out with a friend for the big city of Milwaukee. She worked at General Electric in the X-ray tube division. She met the love of her life, John G. “Bee” Curcio, at a party and they married on September 18, 1954, at Hope Lutheran Church in Cecil. They settled in his hometown, Racine, where she was the bookkeeper for their tool design business, JC Design. She was an avid gardener, birdwatcher, doll collector and an exceptional homemaker. She was proud of her German heritage and had a delightfully mischievous sense of humor. Pranks, gag gifts and boisterous Christmas sing-alongs (with kazoos, slide whistles and kitchen utensil “instruments”) were her specialty. She loved classical music, wire fox terriers, and all of her grand-dogs. A longtime supporter of Racine Lutheran High School, she volunteered at their Thrift Shop for decades. Her greatest joy was her family – she passionately supported her husband and sons and fondly put up with their airplanes, motorcycles, car restorations and other shenanigans. She was a Badger fan who was extremely proud of her UW Madison graduate sons. She is survived by her sons Steve (Julie) of Oak Creek, WI and Dan (Ann) of Atlanta, GA; brothers Louis (JoEllen) Kroll and Wayne (Carol) Kroll; nieces and nephews Kristen (John Bradley) Kroll, Mark Kroll, Carl James, Connie Krueger, Carren (Scott) Porter, Bill (Marilyn) Curcio; and other family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her niece Jennifer Kroll, nephew Dick Krueger, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Milt (Betty) Curcio. The family wishes to express their gratitude to her wonderful caregiver, Halina Piatek, Greg Kryca (Home Care Services), as well as Eric Sheeder. The family suggests memorial remembrances in Shirley’s name to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3700 Washington Ave, Racine, WI 53405 or Racine Lutheran High School. Shirley will be laid to rest with her husband at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in a private ceremony.

Tributes

Shirley Ann Curcio

September 29, 1932 - August 29, 2022