Shirley Madeline Huck

Shirley Madeline Huck, 87, of Bayard, Nebraska, passed into her heavenly home on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at Chimney Rock Villa. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Faith United Church of Christ in Bayard with Rev. George Kilmer officiating. Burial will follow at the Bayard Cemetery. Memorials may be given to Faith United Church of Christ. The service will be live-streamed and recorded to Shirley’s obituary page viewable at www.reverencefuneralparlor.com.

Shirley, a first-generation American, was born August 26, 1937, in Mitchell, Nebraska, in a two-room red shack to parents Conrad and Katherine (Schaneman) Schledewitz. She was confirmed at Salem Congregational Church in Scottsbluff. Shirley received her education at various schools in the Scottsbluff Valley and graduated from Mitchell High School in 1955. Immediately following high school, she received a teacher certificate in 1955 and began teaching. Later, she would earn an Associate's Degree from Scottsbluff Junior College in 1959, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming in 1965, and a Master’s of Science Degree in English from Chadron State College in 1985. 

Shirley married Richard Duane Huck on August 27, 1961, in a traditional Russian German two-day wedding ceremony. The couple had two sons, Bradley Richard and Matthew Jake, and raised their family in Bayard. Not only was Shirley a life-long educator, but she also supported her husband’s insurance career and ranching endeavors. Shirley and her family were proud members of Bayard’s Faith United Church of Christ, where she served in various positions throughout the years. Her love for Jesus was demonstrated in the way she volunteered and served her community and church.

Shirley had a respect for education and a love for students. Teaching for over fifty years, she began her career in 1955 in Henry, then Mitchell Elementary, North Ward Bayard Elementary, District #96 Rural School, and finally, at Bayard Public Schools, where she retired in 2004 as the High School English, Speech, and Drama teacher as well as a WNCC Adjunct Faculty member. Additionally, Shirley spent her summers teaching for Bayard’s Migrant School, a program she adamantly loved and supported. Furthermore, Shirley was one of the first teachers in the state to bring college credit to her high school classroom (1984). On top of this, she coached various activities and privately tutored countless students. In 2000, Shirley presented a Standards-Based Language Arts Curriculum that she cowrote at the 15th Annual Conference of Staff Development. Later, this became part of the Nebraska Department of Education’s State Standards English Proficiency Assessment. Even after retiring, Shirley continued to be a Speech judge and substitute teacher until 2019.

Shirley held various offices in the Rural Teacher's Association and the Bayard Education Association. She was also a member of the N.E.A. (Nebraska Education Association) and the N.S.E.A. (Nebraska State Education Association). During the 1994 school year, Shirley earned the Nebraska State "Teachers Make a Difference Award." She was a member of the Alpha Delta Kappa Teachers Sorority, Morrill County March of Dimes Chairperson, a 4-H Leader for twelve years, a member of the DOES Drove #21 in Scottsbluff (President in 1978), and a member of the Bayard American Legion Auxiliary. 

Shirley was proud of her Russian German heritage. Not only did she keep those cultural traditions and foods alive, but she also wrote three extensive genealogy books for her Schaneman, Andreas, and Huck families. Furthermore, she loved her family and enjoyed sharing her love of music, education, and cooking with her grandchildren.

Shirley is survived by her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren: Bradley (Dori) Huck, Shawna Quevedo, Andrea Mitchell-Brady, Taylor (Henry) Livingston, and Jada (Jacob) Schmid; Matthew (Heidi) Huck, Jakob Huck, Kade Huck, and Nyah Huck. Additionally, Shirley is survived by her sister, Dianna (James) Lashley; brothers, Robert (Sharon) Schledewitz and Richard Schledewitz; ten great-grandchildren; and numerous extended family members and friends. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, Richard in 2003; parents, Conrad and Katherine Schledewitz; in-laws, Jacob and Mary Huck; sister, Delores Vogel; and niece, Michelle Bibbey.