Shirley Ann Koschella

Shirley Ann Koschella passed away December 17, 2018. She will be greatly missed by those she left behind.

Shirley was born in Martindale, Texas on June 18, 1929 to Wallace and Silvia Cocreham. She was their only child. She grew up in Martindale and Poteet, Texas, where she graduated valedictorian. She went on to get a degree in Home Economics at the University of Texas and a Masters in Librarianship from Emory University.

She had several careers throughout her life.   After graduating from the University of Texas, she taught for many years, including the first integrated classroom in Texas! After taking time off to raise her children, she went back to work for the American Banking Association, Bell South, LOMA and New Homes Data Book. She felt a calling to be a children’s librarian so went back to school to get her masters at the age of 60! She finished her working career as the head children’s librarian at Roswell Public Library.

Shirley loved to travel with her husband and children and has visited almost all 50 states and many countries. She was an avid reader and a collector of books and cookbooks. Her Christmas cookies were always the best around! She also loved to sew and created many beautiful clothes and costumes through the years and sewed incredible needlepoint and crewel pillows and pictures.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 63 years, Eugene Koschella, her daughter LeeAnn Stevenson and LeeAnn’s children, Roberta and Jamie and her daughter and son-in-law, Lara and John Reenan and their children, Sabrina, Nicholas, Amanda, Katherine, Lillianne and Silvia.