Shirley Schoettlin

Shirley Wright Schoettlin, 70, of Kansas City, Mo., formerly of Piggott, died December 30, 2008 from complications of pancreatic cancer at the home of her son in Kansas City.

Born May 3, 1938 in Piggott, she was the daughter of the late Raymond Andrew and Sylvia Virginia (Hughes) Wright. She was the second of seven children and a 1956 graduate of Piggott High School.

Shirley moved to Kansas City in 1956, where she met and married Phillip Gene Schoettlin the following year. The couple had three children, the late Stephen Craig, Melissa Leigh and Phillip Andrew.

She spent nearly 30 years in the real estate industry in Kansas City and Washington D.C., beginning in 1971. At the time of her diagnosis she was Innkeeper at the Downtown Inn, an award winning bed and breakfast in Piggott.

Living most of her adult life in Kansas City, she also spent seven years in Washington, D.C. before retiring back to Piggott in 1998. Shirley was active in her community and her church. At the time of her death, she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Piggott and had served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the First Calvary Baptist Church in Kansas City prior to her retirement.

During her life she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Kansas City March of Dimes, Vice President of the Lee's Summit Board of Realtors, Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce, Piggott Area Chamber of Commerce and as a Docent of the Hemmingway-Pfieffer Museum and Educational Center. She was twice appointed by Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to serve as a member of the Commission on National and Community Service. In 2005, she received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Arkansas Delta Byways association for her work developing the Downtown Inn. She also was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

She was preceded in death by her parents Raymond and Sylvia Wright; her infant son, Stephen Craig Schoettlin and one nephew, Wayne Wright.

She is survived by daughter, Melissa Schoettlin Lopez of Overland Park, Kans.; son and daughter-in-law Phillip and Karen Schoettlin of Kansas City, Mo.; grandchildren, Rachel, Christopher, Sydney, Jonathan and Lawson; three sisters, Lottie (Wright) Gookin and husband Bill of Piggott, Mary Clark of Olathe, Kans. and Martha Powers and husband Keith of Mumford, Tenn.; three brothers, James Wright and wife Betty of Oklahoma City, Okla., Charles Wright and wife Elaine of Piggott and Johnny Wright and wife Anne of Chester, Mont.; nine nieces and five nephews and many great and great-great nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12 at the United Methodist Church of the Reserruction in Kansas City, Mo. Local services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 at the First Baptist Church of Piggott. Burial will be in the Piggott Cemetery, with Hoggard and Sons of Piggott in charge of the local arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Hemmingway-Pfieffer Museum and Educational Center, 1021 West Cherry Street, Piggott, Ark. 72454 or the Xi Educational Foundation of Arkansas, P.O. Box 250333, Little Rock, Ark. 72225.