Shirley Jean Jahncke, 96 of Galena, IL passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at Galena Midwest Senior Care Community Center. The funeral service will be held at 11 AM, Monday, January 22, 2024, at the Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena. Friends may call from 2 to 4 PM, on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at the Furlong Funeral Chapel. The burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Galena. She was born May 19, 1927, in Galena, the daughter of George and Gladys (Coates) Herman. Shirley graduated from Galena High School with the class of 1945 and Bayliss Business College in Dubuque in 1946. She was united in marriage to John E. Jahncke on May 20, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Galena and he preceded her in death on April 2, 1965. Shirley was the oldest living member of the First Presbyterian Church and served as secretary, sang in the choir, and taught Sunday school. Shirley was also a member of the Rebekka Lodge and the VFW Women’s Auxiliary. Her claim to fame was being voted as Galena’s Mardi Gras Queen. But her true calling was working with and teaching special needs children, which she did for 23 years. Shirley’s greatest joy was her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She never hesitated to share with anyone who would listen how proud she was of all of them. She is survived by her four children, Susan (Robert) Tierney, William (Susan) Jahncke, Jane (Richard) O’Brien, Thomas (Nancy) Jahncke; son-in-law Paul Herbert, ten grandchildren, Ellen and Sally Herbert, Kristy Patterson, Bruce and Katie Jahncke, John, Jake, and Jeff O’Brien, John and Anna Jahncke, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her daughter Nancy, her son Richard, and her siblings, Robert, Richard, Marcella, Jane, and Kenneth. The family would like to thank Hospice of Dubuque, especially Becky, and Amber, for their compassion and care for Mom. A very special and heartfelt thank you to the many angels at the Galena Midwest Senior Care Community Center. Words cannot express our gratitude for all the help, compassion, and comfort you provided Mom during her time there. You made her feel loved and cared for and we are eternally grateful. Memorials may be made in Shirley’s honor to either the Jo Daviess County Workshop, Galena, or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org.