Shirley Wehrspann

Shirley Wehrspann, 82, of Montevideo, passed away on Sunday, May 25, 2025, at the St. Cloud Hospital. A Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Trinity Lutheran Church in Montevideo. Visitation will be held Monday, June 2, 2025, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at Wing-Bain Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.

Shirley (Chaulsett) Wehrspann was born on October 13, 1942, in Long Beach, California to Jean (Calvert) and Hollis Chaulsett. Hollis worked in the shipyards, and, after the war, the family came back to South Dakota and worked with Thomas Carnival. Hollis worked the games and Jean, a gifted artist, worked at the photo booth hand coloring portraits.

When it was time for Shirley to start school, the family made their home in Brookings, SD, and opened a restaurant called Jean’s Cafe, where Shirley later waitressed. She met her future husband, Del, there, as he washed dishes in exchange for food while attending college. They discovered their mutual interests of hunting and fishing and were married on June 10, 1961.

The couple raised two daughters and lived in various towns following Del’s career as a cattle buyer. They found their forever home in Montevideo, MN, near the shores of the Minnesota River, which they referred to as their Garden of Eden. There, they pursued their outdoor passions.

Shirley had many talents. A gifted artist like her mother, she started a business making and painting concrete lawn ornaments. She also raised sheep and calves, ran the family bait shop, sold clothes in retail stores, and earned a real estate license. In the 1990s, she was scheduler and case worker for former Democratic congressman David Minge. Later, she opened a pet boarding facility, which she ran until she died.

Shirley was known by family and neighbors as Dr. Doolittle for her connection to animals and passion for saving them. Everything from ducks and pigeons to cats and raccoons were brought back to life, and wherever she walked a parade of animals would follow.

Shirley loved horses, and she raised and showed them for most of her life. In the mid 90s, she was in a riding accident that nearly took her life. In a newspaper article, her surgeon referred to her as “the walking dead person” as she was pronounced dead multiple times. Shirley recalled the near-death experience and said she saw her deceased father, who told her, “It’s not your time yet,” as she had many good years to live. She would later be blessed with three grandchildren, whom she adored.

Shirley is survived by her husband Del, daughters Tammy Wehrspann (and Nicholas Hofstad) and Jodie Wehrspann; granddaughters Emma (and Trevor) Mudgett, Sara (and Joe) Weeding, grandson Aidan Sirek, and her pets Curley (dog) Matilda (cat), and Pearl (Guinea hen).

In lieu of flowers and trees, Shirley would appreciate donations to Pioneer PBS Public Television, Chippewa County Historical Society, and the Land Stewardship Project.