Shirley J. Lake

DYERSVILLE, IOWA

Shirley J. Lake, 99, of Dyersville, formerly of Holy Cross, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at MercyOne Medical Center in Dyersville, Iowa, with the comfort of knowing how deeply she was loved — with many family members being able to be by her side in her final days.

Visitation will be held 2 – 7 p.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Kramer-Morris Funeral Home in Dyersville, Iowa. Visitation will continue from 9 – 10 a.m. at the funeral home prior to funeral services.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Holy Cross, Iowa with burial in the church cemetery. Rev. Tyler Raymond will officiate with Deacon Peter Binder assisting.

Shirley was born on July 15, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan, daughter of Karl and Catherine (McNulty) Cummings. She married Donald H. Lake on June 20, 1953, at Holy Cross Catholic Church.

Shirley was raised in Detroit and attended Catholic school. Following graduation from high school, Shirley was accepted into the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corp and began her training to become a registered nurse. After passing state boards, she began working in a tuberculosis ward at a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a sense of adventure, Shirley and several nursing friends decided to move to Colorado and began working at Children’s Hospital in Denver. While living in Denver, Shirley met Don at the Young People’s Club, a social club for young Catholics. After dating for a year, Shirley and Don were married. The Lake household was a loud and busy place raising 8 children. Shirley returned to nursing as the children grew, working in various areas of nursing; besides hospital work, she was also a school nurse, a county health nurse, and an industrial nurse for John Deere.

When Shirley and Don retired, they combined their love of travel and history by attending Elderhostels that provide educational travel and learning programs for older adults. Shirley never let a holiday or special occasion pass without sending a card — it was simply who she was. One of her greatest joys was writing letters and cards to family and friends, her loving way of staying connected and making sure the people in her life always knew they were in her heart. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren especially treasured receiving a handwritten card from Grandma for every birthday, holiday, and special moment.

Survivors include her children: Mark (Jodi) Lake of Winterset, IA, Christine (Mark) Troup of Chambersburg, PA, Mary Ellen Lake of Dyersville, IA, Cindy (Dennis) Cary of Bettendorf, IA, Maureen Lake of Dubuque, IA, Lisa (Jim) Sporer of Holy Cross, IA, Brian (Rod Villalobos) Lake of Palm Springs, CA, and Douglas (Shari Hagerty) Lake of Eldridge, IA; 13 grandchildren: Erin, Jill, Andrew, Kayla, Leah, Jairus, Anna, Talia, Eric, Myia, Samantha, Danielle, and Garrett; 9 great grandchildren; sister: Mary Vasilko; in-laws: Fred Westhoff, David (Lou) Lake.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald in 2015 and a great granddaughter, Freja Eichorn; siblings: James, Joyce and Judy; in-laws: Bob Lake, Doris (Bill) Sahm, Helen Westhoff, Gerry Vasilko, Bob Mahin, Wally Nation.

The family would like to thank the staff at Ellen Kennedy Center, MercyOne Dyersville and caregivers, Alyssa, Ginger and Rhonda for taking wonderful care of our mother.

Kramer-Morris Funeral Home (Dyersville, Guttenberg, Garnavillo, Monticello, Holy Cross) is assisting the family and online condolences may be left for the family at www.kramer-morrisfuneralhome.com