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Shelley Grant

April 24, 1958 - April 1, 2015
Gobles, MI

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Visitation

Monday, April 6, 2015
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900
Driving Directions

Service

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
10:00 AM EDT
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
115 East Monroe
Bangor, MI 49013
Map

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
115 East Monroe
Bangor, MI 49013
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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Print

All who knew Shelley Grant would agree that she was truly beautiful on the inside and out. She was nurturing, caring, and compassionate by nature with an insatiable desire to live each moment to the fullest. A more devoted mother would be hard to find, and although Shelley treasured her role as a mother she just may have argued that nothing was better than becoming a grandmother to the grandson who was the light of her life. Although she faced trials, she carried herself with a quiet strength and a graceful courage that were truly an inspiration. Outgoing, personable, and genuine, Shelley was a blessing to everyone who was within her reach. She will never be forgotten.

The decade of the 1950s was an exciting one. Elvis Presley became a household name when he introduced the world to rock ’n roll while James Dean made young girls swoon on the silver screen. It was during this decade that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, and by the time the decade ended we added both Alaska and Hawaii as our 49th and 50th states. Amidst this colorful time was a time of great anticipation in the lives of Rex and Carolyn (Hoover) Grant as they were eagerly awaiting the birth of their new baby as the beauty of spring unfolded in the city of South Haven, Michigan. The big day finally arrived when the baby girl they named Shelley drew her first breath. She was the second of four children in her family and was raised in the family home on a small farm in Bangor alongside her older brother, Rex, and her younger siblings, Sarah and Matthew. They were a close knit family whose focus was on their relationship rather than on material possessions. They worked hard, had horses, and were anchored in the Lutheran faith. In fact, Shelley’s parents were founding members Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, and they spent a lot of their time there. She attended local schools, and Shelley graduated from Bangor High School in 1976.

Life truly began for Shelley when she became a mother to her son, Joshua, in 1977. She was a single mother, which was anything but easy, especially when she also went back to school. Shelley was living in family housing at Western Michigan as her graduating date drew near, and many of her lifelong friends were made there. She was proud to receive a degree in criminal justice in 1985.

Determined to make a great life for herself and her son, Shelley she moved around a bit during the year following school looking for just the right home for Joshua while also looking for the right school. Finally, she found just the right place at Evergreen South Apartments on 11th Street. Not only was Shelley a single mom who supported her son, she also supported other family members when they didn’t have much. She was an amazing mother who was fiercely protective of her son and worked hard to give him the best that she could through her constant drive to succeed. Shelley had several jobs, but she finally took a position with Western Michigan University. With her education, she was able to work her way up to the building custodial support services. Shelley always enjoyed her work in addition to the people she worked with. She spent the bulk of her career at Western until medical reasons forced her to retire as the head of building custodial support services. Retiring early was frustrating to Shelley since at times her health very much affected the way she lived her life.

In her free time, Shelley was one to keep busy. She enjoyed reading, primarily science fiction, and it was not uncommon for her to read a book from cover to cover. With a love for traveling, Shelley went to places like Florida, Virginia Beach, out West, and she also went on some memorable trips to Disney with Joshua and his wife, Carmen, and her grandson, Aidan. Shelley loved taking a cruise to Alaska with her friends. She enjoyed television shows within the science fiction realm, too, as she liked both Star Trek and Battle Star Galactica. Shelley collected lighthouses, candles, and of course she was never one to let go of things, especially when it came to Joshua’s schoolwork!

There was nothing that made Shelley’s life better than sharing her days with the ones she loved. After being friends with John Hoppel for years, they were married on June 30, 2001, deeply in love. Shelley tenderly cared for him while he was sick, and she most recently served as a caregiver for her mother. Of course there was nothing better than being a grandmother in Shelley’s book, and she loved spoiling Aidan with every opportunity that arose. She was deeply saddened with John’s death in 2003, but she continued to find joy in her loved ones.

Although she was taken from her loved ones too soon, Shelley Grant made a significant impact in the lives of everyone she met. She was helpful, giving, and selfless as she was always looking to do for others in ways both great and small. Shelley believed in working hard and always stressed the importance of doing your best and getting a good education as she knew that it would open doors along the way. Deeply loved, she will be forever missed.

Shelley Grant, of Gobles, died on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. Shelley’s family includes her son, Joshua (Carmen) Grant; grandson, Aidan; mother, Carolyn Grant; siblings: Rex (Carol) Grant, Sarah (Frank) Sisson, Matthew (Michele) Grant; and other relatives and friends. Learn more about Shelley, view her Life Story film and visit with her family and friends on Monday from 5-8 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (375-2900). Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 115 E Monroe St, Bangor. Please visit Shelley’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign her guestbook. Memorial donations may be made to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

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