Shirley May Spetzman

Shirley May (Rueckert) Spetzman of Forest Lake, MN passed away of natural causes on June 22, 2022.  Shirley was born on April 19, 1928, grew up on the East Side, confirmed at First Covenant Church, and graduated from Mechanic Arts High School, all in St. Paul, MN. Shirley married Joe Spetzman on October 6, 1951.  They lived in Circle Pines and Lino Lakes for most of their 56 years of marriage.​Shirley enjoyed being a Boy Scout den mother, fishing, traveling, community volunteering, going on overseas Christian mission trips, and of course music. Self-taught, Shirley played violin, guitar, and keyboards. Shirley visited upwards of twenty countries across four continents. She explored the Great Wall of China, Ayers Rock in Australia, the Colosseum in Rome, and was inside the walls of the Kremlin in Moscow. Shirley was proud of her Swedish heritage, and traces her ancestry back to Gunnarskog Parish in Sweden’s Värmland Province.​Shirley was preceded in death by husband, Joe Spetzman; parents, Julius and Amy (Skoog) Rueckert; brothers, Clarence “Chuck” and Julius “John” Rueckert; and great-granddaughter, Dana Carlson.​Shirley leaves behind two sons, Jim (Linda) Spetzman of Forest Lake and Jerry (Mary) Spetzman of Lindström; five grandchildren, Timothy (Kandi) Spetzman, Gary (Heidi) Spetzman, Krystal Carlson, Makayla Spetzman, and Abigail Spetzman; and eleven great-grandchildren, Travis, Jacob, Andrew, Zachary, Hailey, Matthew, Katelynn, Eithan, Sullivan, Cheyanne, and William.​Private interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery.