Sunday, September 15, 2024
Shirley L. (Breaker) Malliet of Dale, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 31, 2023
after a long battle with dementia. She was 85.
Shirley was born in Neenah, WI on April 27, 1938 to the late Roy and Melda (Erickson) Breaker and grew up on the family farm in the Larsen area with her parents and paternal grandparents. She graduated from New London High in 1956 and it was there where she met the love of her life, Ray Malliet. They were joined in marriage on August 27, 1960, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in the Town of Lebanon, WI.
Shirley and Ray enjoyed travels to Washington, D.C., Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, Myrtle Beach, SC, and the Great Smoky Mountains as well as taking a cruise down the Rhine River in France, hiking the Alps in Switzerland, and visiting Norway, Sweden, and Finland. They also explored biking trails throughout Wisconsin and Illinois and enjoyed both downhill and cross-country skiing. Shirley loved dancing with Ray. Whether it was the Two-Step, Waltz, or Jitterbug, you could always find them on the dance floor- at weddings, town dances, or a night out on the town. While her kids were young, she spent her free time with the local Cub Scout Pack and 4-H Clubs and was very involved in the Medina-Dale-Readfield Lionettes for many years.
Shirley’s cheerful and outgoing personality served her well in her working life. She worked at the former Felsner’s Grocery in Dale, Marathon/American Can Company in Menasha, and Midway Motor Lodge in Appleton before finding her career with Curwood, Inc. (The Bemis Company) as the administrative assistant for their Research and Development Department. She held that position for 37 years before retiring in 2011.
Shirley is survived by her husband of 63 years, Ray; daughter, Teri (Scott) Huntley and grandsons, Andrew (Karley) Huntley and Austin (Ashley) Huntley; son, Steve (Joan) Malliet, granddaughter, Lauren (Dan) Gilanyi and grandsons, Colin (Mel Koe) Malliet, Ryan Malliet and Ben Malliet and great-grandsons, Watson Huntley and Aaron Gilanyi. She is further survived by many close friends and acquaintances.
Shirley was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Kenneth “Ken” Breaker and James “Jimmy” Breaker.
The Funeral Service for Shirley will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at Cline & Hanson Funeral Home in New London with Fr. John Kleinschmidt officiating. The visitation will take place from 1:30 p.m. until the time of service. Burial will be at Dale Union Cemetery, Town of Dale at a later date.
The family would like to extend our gracious thanks to the staff at St. Joseph Residence for their many years of friendships, kindness, and caring.
