Shirley Rae Bentz

Bentz, Shirley Rae, died at home on December 20, 2021 at the age of 98. She was born to Frank S. and Mary H. (Monroe) Hameister on August 5, 1923 in Elgin, IL. She is preceded in death by her parents, sisters Jean (Richard) Ruhland, Joan (Kenneth) Ramsey and her husband of 60 years, Alex. Surviving are her daughters Pamela (Curt) Acton, Janet (Doug) Jones, Victoria Gilmore; niece, Marny Ruhland; grandson Daniel Acton and granddaughter, Jeannine (Michael) Puehler. Shirley met her future husband, Alex, on a blind date arranged by friends who thought she might be interested in a piano tuner from Aurora, Illinois seeing that she was the daughter of a piano tuner. Evidently that was a successful meeting because they married in 1952. They spent their entire married life as residents of Elgin, raising their three daughters there. Shirley was a homemaker from the beginning but also ran the bookkeeping side of the family business. Additionally, she learned enough of the piano restoration business to be able to assist Alex in refinishing the cases and even refreshing some of the inner workings of pianos. Shirley liked a schedule and ran a tight ship at home. She worked hard to keep us all on the straight and narrow with pretty good success. In 1974 Shirley became baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. She loved what she learned from the Bible and from that time on she and Alex spent time each month together visiting people at their homes to share the Bible's wonderful hope for the future. She will be dearly missed. Remembrance will be private. Arrangements were made by Moore Family Funeral Home in Newtown, OH.