Shirley M. Assenheimer

Shirley Mae Assenheimer, 82, of Bucyrus, died Sunday, February 06, 2022 at her residence following a lengthy illness.



Shirley was born December 4, 1939 in Tiffin to the late Lincoln and Bernice (Miller) Jump. She was a 1957 graduate of Sycamore High School and on March 7, 1959 married Charles E. Assenheimer. Shirley was happily married for 61 years until his death in 2020.



Shirley began working as a legal secretary for Robert Clark Neff and once her husband entered the Army, she took and passed the civil service test. This landed her a secretarial position at the US Pentagon during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where she was humbled to have received a letter of accommodation signed by President Kennedy. She also worked as a teletype, interpreting messages from submarines during the Bay of Pigs. Following her husbands time in the service, they returned to Bucyrus where she continued working at the Neff Law Firm. Shirley next felt a calling to serve the city of Bucyrus as a secretary and fulfilled this duty over multiple mayoral terms as well as served as Bucyrus City Service Director. All in all, she helped lead Bucyrus in a positive direction for 27 years before retiring.



Shirley had an outgoing personality and if you weren’t friends when she arrived, you were friends by the time she left. She was an active volunteer for the Bucyrus Hospital TWIG, Bucyrus Library Board of Directors, Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce, Crawford County Junior Fair Awards, Crawford County Board of Elections (poll worker), and a longtime supporter of Wynford Athletic Boosters. She was a former member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, serving on church council; member of Bucyrus Nazarene Church where she assisted with meals; Order of Eastern Star, Chapter #3, and a Bucyrus Red Hat Society member.



Shirley had a strong connection with her family. In earlier years, she, her sister, and mother spent many Sunday’s quilting and crafting. She was involved in the lives of her children and always wanted to know what her grandchildren were doing as to brag on them. Holidays meant a big meal, fellowship and always ended with a competitive card game of horse thief or euchre. She was an avid Cleveland Indians fan who formerly enjoyed her season tickets and was especially excited to be part of the World Series during the mid-1990s. Golf was her favorite pastime. She enjoyed many trips to watch the pros tee it up at Muirfield Village Golf Club and enjoyed playing many rounds at Bucyrus or in Naples over their 17 years of wintering in Florida. She played many games of bocce with friend and for relaxation, she enjoyed relaxing to a good book.



Shirley will be missed by her children, Kevin (Nina) Assenheimer and Karin Lewis; grandchildren Nathaniel Assenheimer, Madelyn Assenheimer, Karson Stanford and Kassidy Stanford; siblings, Roger (Marianna) Jump and Gertrude Wenner as well as extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister, Jo Ellen Dunlap; son-in-law, Shawn Lewis and brother-in-law, James Wenner.



Shirley’s family invite guests to join them at 1:00 pm Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Oakwood Cemetery where Pastor Ray LaSalle will officiate her graveside memorial service. If desired, donations can be made payable to Kindred Hospice who provided excellent care to Shirley. These gifts will be accepted through the Wise Funeral Service. Memories are encouraged to be shared on her tribute wall.