Our mom, Shirley Ann Burg, of Chelsea, MI, died in the early hours of Sunday, December 21, 2025, after a brief illness. She was 93 years old.
How do you describe a person’s life in an obituary? She wasn’t just a mom, a grandmother, a wife, a daughter, an aunt, and a friend. She was strong, smart, fearless, adventurous, and a role model. She touched everyone around her.
Shirley was born on January 8, 1932, to Macombs Benjamin “Mac” and Noella Irene (LaFrance) Tuckey in Rimbey, Alberta, Canada. Shirley was the fourth of six children. In the early 1940s Shirley’s family moved from Alberta to Coquitlam, British Columbia. Shirley wanted to become an airline stewardess, but in 1950s Canada, they had to have nurses training first. Shirley enrolled at the Royal Columbian Hospital’s Nursing School in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1950, and quickly realized that she wanted to be a nurse more than a glamourous airline stewardess.
Graduating in 1953, Shirley and friend, Pat Ware, decided to work in the United States. Shirley’s father, Mac, who was from London, Ontario, recommended that the two young women go to Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1954, the two friends arrived in Ann Arbor and began working at Mercywood Hospital. Employed as the nurse in charge of the pharmacy at Mercywood, Shirley met a young pharmacist working there part-time, J. Vincent “Vince” Burg. Vince lived in Chelsea and also worked full-time at Chelsea Pharmacy.
Shirley and Vince married on August 18, 1956, and remained in Chelsea, raising their six children, Gregg, Diane, David, Brian, Kristi, and Rob. Shirley and Vince were married for over 62 years, before Vince’s passing in 2019. Shirley re-entered the nursing profession in 1970 after the birth of her sixth child. She worked at Chelsea Community Hospital until her retirement in 1998. Besides her career in nursing and raising a large family, Shirley was a lifelong avid reader, a traveler, a volunteer, a swimmer, a skier, a bicyclist, and a knitter. She was once the Chelsea District Library’s volunteer of the year, a member of the Ann Arbor Y for decades, only ending her membership because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and she passed on her love of skiing to many of her children.
Shirley was preceded in death by Vince; parents, Mac and Noella; brothers, Doug and Lloyd, and sister, Jean Higbee. She is survived by her children, Gregg Burg, Diane (Fernando) Nieves, David Burg, Brian Burg, Kristi (Gary) Ragland, and Rob Burg; grandchildren: Arielle Burg, Bree (Cameron) Kingsley, Jacob Burg, and Katie Nieves; great-grandson, Gabriel Kingsley; brothers, Dale (Gail) Tuckey and Brian (Wendy) Tuckey, and many nieces and nephews.
In 2024, Shirley was featured in the Chelsea Senior Center’s CSC Spotlight. This article, written by Sharon Kegerreis, is included here.
“In Chelsea Senior Center’s Knit and Crochet group, you will often hear Shirley’s infectious laugh following a rowdy roundtable discussion on various topics. The welcoming group gathers every Thursday to share home-baked goodies and knit and crochet projects for loved ones. Though her hands are less nimble today, Shirley has knitted many hats, dish cloths, socks and cowls over the years.
A love for cozy clothes was ignited in Canada where Shirley was born. She was raised in British Columbia after her birth in Alberta. Since then, Shirley has experienced a lifetime of adventures with many sunsets.
Opportunity to work in nursing in Michigan prompted Shirley to relocate to the United States at age 22. While some people may associate Shirley with the old Burg’s Drug Store and soda fountain (now Zou Zou’s), Shirley clarifies that Burg’s was her husband’s family history. She met her sweetheart Vincent after the family pharmacy was sold. The two married and spent the next 63 years together. At the start of their marriage, Shirley stayed home to raise their six children. When Chelsea Hospital opened in 1970, she jumped at the opportunity to return to work.
“I needed the money to be able to take my children back to my home country for them to know my family,” says Shirley. Twenty-eight years of night shifts – her preferred time of day – and rotations in surgical, burn, mental health, and rehabilitation units provided the means for intercontinental travel.
When asked which way she drove to British Columbia, Shirley says, “Every way! Sometimes, I even made it in four days.” Her fierce devotion to the frequent visits paid off. She’s rewarded today with the bond her children share with their Canadian cousins.
Beyond road trips to British Columbia, Shirley’s zest for life propelled her and her nursing colleague and CSC member Jean Vargas on a seven-week adventure to Fiji, Australia (including the Outback), New Zealand and Tahiti in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, Shirley and Vincent spent two summers biking throughout Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. Her first Century ride (100 miles!) gave her the legs for 600 road miles on their first European biking trip. On the return trip, they logged 1,100 miles.
With biking adventures now in the past, Shirley catches a ride to Chelsea Senior Center, including to regular footcare appointments at CSC. She has many joyful memories of adventures and of CSC’s Supper Club and line- and tap-dancing classes. “I’ll never forget dancing on the stage with a bunch of other ladies and having a great time,” Shirley laughs.”
Good-bye mom, you will be missed by everyone.
Per Shirley’s request, there is no planned memorial service at this time.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea, MI.
