| ObituaryRhonda remembers Shirley's contribution to the 1980 History
In Memoriam: Shirley Karber By Rhonda Westfall For Shirley Karber, a passion for local history was surpassed only by the love and devotion she showered on family and friends - her death leaves a void in both realms. The native St. Johns resident passed away Jan. 22, following a lengthy illness. She and her husband, Gerald who survives her, operated the former Aloha Drive-In restaurant on North US-27 from 1958-69. Shirley also worked as a correspondent for the Clinton County Republican-News in the late 1960s and early '70s, and was a real estate agent with Furman Realty Company, but her real legacy lies in the information on local history that she helped provide to others. That passion for history is best exemplified in the 'Once Over Lightly' section which she authored for the 1980 History of Clinton County. The 358-page section tells the history of Clinton County from 1880 through 1980 via snippets of articles which Shirley gleaned from the pages of the Clinton County News and its predecessors. It was tedious work - that was a labor of love to Shirley. "She read through all of those newspapers and put together her synopses," says Jean Martin, another local historian who worked on the 1980 History. "She went through two or three bulbs in the microfilm reader at the library. "For me, her sterling contribution to the community as a whole was that 100 year analysis of the Republican-News." Catherine Rumbaugh, director of the Paine-Gillam-Scott Historic House, agrees. "Shirley was extremely interested in history and enjoyed looking through all that microfilm," she says. "It's a shame that we've lost someone who was so interested in local history and the community." Her love of history was also evident in her work on the 1976 Clinton County Bicentennial Committee and in the formation of the Clinton County Historical Society. She served as coordinator of the Bicentennial Committee and was the first person to serve a two-year term on the Clinton County Historical Commission. "Shirley and I were among the people who got together prior to the Bicentennial and decided we needed a historical society here in Clinton County," Betty Jane Minsky recalls. "I'll really miss her - she helped on so many projects." Minsky also pointed to the journalistic contributions which Shirley left behind in the pages of the Clinton County News, and the care and concern she demonstrated to so many people. "Shirley liked the news business and photography - and she loved people," Minsky says. "Home and family meant so much to her - she was such a warm person." Funeral services were held Jan. 24. A complete obituary is printed on page xx.
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