Mary Sue Shenk

Funeral services celebrating the life of Mary Shenk, 81, of Davenport, will be held at 11 am on Monday, August 5, 2024, at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation will be Monday from 9 am until time of services at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, or Wounded Warrior Project. 

Mrs. Shenk passed away Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, following a brief illness.

Mary Sue Rogers was born April 27, 1943, in Moline, a daughter of Houston and Leona (Parris) Rogers. She graduated from Riverdale High School (Port Byron), class of 1961. She earned her BA in Education from the former Marycrest College, Davenport, in 1965, and taught physical education in Granite City, IL for five years. 

Mary then graduated from the St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing, Davenport, in 1972 and worked as an RN for at the former Mercy Hospital, industrial nurse for the former Servus Rubber in Rock Island and Sivyer Steel in Bettendorf, and as a consultant for workers compensation cases with Intracorp in Rockford, IL. Lastly, she worked with Alzheimer’s at Good Samaritan Nursing Center in Davenport for fourteen years prior to her retirement in 2007.

She was united in marriage to John D. Shenk in 1971 in Port Byron and he preceded her in death in 1990. Family meant everything to Mary, and she enjoyed attending her children and grandchildren’s activities and babysitting her grandchildren.

Music was a big part of her life. She sang in the church choir, played organ and the piano, and she especially loved hearing pipe organs.

Her philosophy on life was “Don’t spend a lot of time looking backward – keep moving forward one step at a time. When things get too much for you, give them to God!”

Survivors include her daughters Amanda (Ross) Kimbrough, Overland Park, KS, Carrie (Chad) Larson, Rock Island, Emily (John) Shenk – DeMay, Bettendorf; grandchildren Branden, Jonathan, Mackenzie, Tristan, Eliana,; great grandchildren Leah, Noah, Parker; sister Ruth Klundt, Hillsdale, IL; niece and nephews Melissa, Mark, Scott, Andy, Mickey; sisters-in-law Sandy Rogers and Penny Shenk.

She was additionally preceded in death by her brother Lon Rogers, brother-in-law James Shenk, nephews Paul Klundt, and Christopher Shenk.

Online remembrances may be expressed at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.