Funeral Services For Shirley Babcock

Shirley J. Babcock, 79, of Albion, NE passed away, Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society – Wolf Memorial Home in Albion, NE.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, January 6, 2017 at the United Methodist Church of Albion, NE, with Rev. Janet Burgel officiating. Burial will be at Dublin Cemetery in Primrose, NE. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Levander Funeral Home in Albion, NE.


In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the Boone County Health Center Cancer Center, United Methodist Church in Albion, NE, or the American Legion Auxiliary.

Shirley Jean Babcock, the daughter of Ardie B. and Mary Louise (Rea) Crews was born on October 21, 1937 at Dresden, Tennessee.  She was confirmed at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Dresden, TN in 1948.  She attended school at Dresden Elementary and graduated from Dresden High School in 1955.  Following graduation, she attended Bruce Business School in Martin, TN.  She then moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the office of J. Edgar Hoover for 2 years.

On September 15, 1958 Shirley was married to Donald Hestekind in Washington, D.C.   They lived in Japan for 4 years, then returned to New Jersey where Shirley worked for McGraw Hill Publishing Co.  They later lived in Charleston, SC; Langley Field, VI; and Jacksonville Air Force Base, AK where Shirley worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for various businesses.  In the early 1970’s they moved to Elgin, NE.  Shirley worked at Leon McCoy Enterprises, Inc. in Neligh, NE as a secretary and a receptionist for 17 years.  The couple divorced in 1987.

One of Shirley’s past times was square dancing and she attended them often in Oakdale, NE.  It was there that she met her husband Harold Babcock, Jr.  They were united in marriage on May 12, 1990 at the United Methodist Church in Albion, NE.  The couple lived on Harold’s farm.  Shirley began working at the Wolf Memorial Good Samaritan Center in Albion, NE as a Nurse Aide.  She worked there for 20 years as a CNA/MA and retired in 2010.  In 1995 she received the Most Valuable Person Award at the nursing home.

In Shirley’s years living in Elgin she was a permanent member of the American Legion Auxiliary Elgin Unit #229.  In her unit, she served on many committees and chairman of others including Poppy and Memorial Day Chairman and Yearbook Chairman, Historian, Constitution and By-Laws, Secretary, Vice President and President.  Shirley also served on offices at the District, State, and National Level as well.  Her work with the American Legion Auxiliary was unending and impressive.  Shirley was a member of the United Methodist Church in Albion, NE.   She was outstanding in her volunteer work in the community.  She was a Hospice Volunteer and her and her sister-in-law Carol Buckles started the Visually Impaired Peer Support Group in 1993 “VIPS” and continued to have monthly meetings up until November of 2016.  Shirley also was a member of the Neighborhood Kitchen Klatter Club, VFW Auxiliary, Eight and Forty, and the Federation Women’s Club.  Some of Shirley’s hobbies include needlework and square dancing.  She collected coffee mugs, Gaither videos and quartet music.

Shirley is survived by her husband Harold Babcock, Jr. of Albion, NE; sister-in-law Carol Buckles of Albion, NE, many special cousins in Tennessee, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

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