Obituary of Shirley A. Wenger

Shirley A. Wenger, 92, of Manheim, PA passed away peacefully and was welcomed into her eternal heavenly home by her beloved late husband, J. Calvin Wenger where she is now rejoicing with the angels on December 27, 2025 at UPMC Lititz. Shirley was born on 10/29/1933 to Walter and Bertha Boose, Lancaster, PA and was the youngest of 12 children. She lived her early life in Lancaster and graduated from J.P. McCaskey High School. She worked for DeWalt Tools until she married Calvin in 1954 after which they moved to Davenport, Iowa where he attended Palmer College of Chiropractic. They returned to Lancaster in 1956 where Shirley became very involved with the church community, served as a Girl Scout Leader and raised her family. She served the Lancaster Church of the Brethren along with Calvin all of her adult life as deacon, usher, greeter, kitchen coordinator, wedding coordinator, and anything else that needed to be done. Shirley was a force of nature who people turned to to get results. She was strong, honest, loyal, wise and funny and served faithfully, loved fiercely and shared wisdom and knowledge continually. She was invaluable in her support of Calvin as he pursued his career as a chiropractor. She devoted her time and love to raising their three children, Linda, David and Bob.

Shirley is survived by daughter Linda S. Wenger, PA-C (partner Joe Ottino) of Lancaster; son David K. Wenger, LMT (wife Carol) of York; and sister Nancy McAvoy of Yuba City, CA. Her grandchildren are Zachary Wenger Baughman of Campbelltown; Ben Wenger of Newport News, VA; Jenn Wenger Fearon, DPT (wife of Sebastian Fearon, DPT) of Kansas City, MO and Ashley Wenger of Lancaster. Her step grandchildren include Katie Groff, DO (wife of Brad Hengel) of Phoenix, AZ; Stacie Groff Parks, CRNA (wife of Michael Parks) of Charlotte, NC and Kevin Groff of Portland, OR and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her son, Bob and grandson, Bradley. 

The family would like to thank the physicians, physician assistants, residents, nurses and patient care assistants in the ER and medical floor at UPMC Lititz for the wonderful and loving care they provided during Shirley’s nine- day illness.

A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on Saturday, January 24 at the Lancaster Church of the Brethren, 1601 Sunset Ave., Lancaster PA. Visitation with the family will start at 10:00 and the memorial service at 11:00. There will be a meal immediately following the service. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. The service will be broadcast on the Church’s YouTube page at https://bit.ly/ShirleyWenger

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to any of the following: Lancaster Church of the Brethren, 1601 Sunset Ave, Lancaster, PA 17601; Pleasant View Communities, 544 N Penryn Rd, Manheim, PA 17545; Heifer International, 1 World Ave, Little Rock, AR 72202; Blessings of Hope, 500 Becker Rd, Leola, PA 17540. Cremation arrangements were made by William P. Spence Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc., Manheim.