March 4, 1938 – November 24, 2025
Shirley Gregg, 87 of Algona, passed away Monday, November 24, 2025, at the Algona Manor Care Center in Algona. Private family service will be held at a later date. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of Algona. Online condolences may be left at http://www.lentzfuneralhome.com.
Shirley Jean (Nelson) Gregg was born on March 4, 1938, to Richard and Gladys (Priebe) Nelson in Charles City, IA. She had a younger brother, Skip, who was four and a half years her junior, and they shared a close bond during their childhood.
Shirley attended schools in Charles City, where she took courses in typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping during high school. In her senior year, she worked at Linotype School in Charles City, balancing school in the mornings and work in the afternoons. It was there that she met her future husband, Leonard, who was also attending school using his GI Bill. After attending a pancake breakfast together, Shirley and Leonard became engaged by the time she graduated in the spring of 1956. They married on September 8, 1956, and later welcomed three children: two sons and a daughter.
In 1973, the family relocated to Algona, where Shirley found employment at the directory service. She later worked for Iowa State Bank, where she held various roles, including secretary, student loan department staff, and eventually executive secretary, until her retirement in 1999.
Shirley and Leonard cherished their grandchildren, enjoyed traveling, and valued their many friendships. For 25 years, they embraced the snowbird lifestyle, spending winters in Mesa, AZ, where they were adored by a community of fellow retirees.
As their grandchildren’s biggest fans, Shirley and Leonard never missed a chance to cheer them on at volleyball games or go-kart races. Summers were filled with camping trips in their fifth wheel and bike rides with plenty of stops at Dairy Queen. Their grandchildren were the focal point of their lives.
Shirley also had a passion for knitting, baking, playing corn hole, and crafting with her friends in Arizona.
Shirley is survived by her son, Mike (Cathy) Gregg from Tulsa, OK. Also surviving are her grandchildren: Abby (Tom) Cunningham, Tyler (Rachel) Gregg, Alex Gregg, Tara Gregg, Cory Gregg, Russell Bunger, and Jon (Lacy) Bunger, along with two great-grandchildren, Colton and Charlotte Cunningham, and special friend, Janet Penning.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Leonard Gregg, and her son, Jeff Gregg.
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