Shirley Gumm

Shirley J. Gumm, 74, wife of Donald E. Gumm and a resident of Shriner Lakee near Columbia City and formerly of Churubusco, passed away July 5, 2011 at 10:22 a.m., at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, where she had been a patient since June 24. Mrs. Gumm was born in Hampton, Georgia on December 17, 1936, a daughter of Esco and Fannie (Womac) Kent, and spent her formative years in Dalton, Georgia. On April 8, 1955 she was married in Hamilton, Ohio to Donald E. Gumm.e The couple moved to Columbia City in 1964 from Hamilton, Ohio, and had lived in Churubusco for several years before moving to Shriner Lake in 1996. She had been employed at Dana Corporation in Churubusco for 33 years, retiring from there in 1999.e In addition to being a hard worker, she enjoyed crocheting, sewing, all sorts of travel, collecting Fenton glass, fishing, and wintering in Nokomis, Florida.e Most importantly she loved and cherished her family above all else. She was a member of the Daughters of the Nile, Columbia City American Legion Auxiliary Post 98, Columbia City Eagles Auxiliary, and the Moose Lodge Auxiliary in Warsaw. The surviving relatives include her husband Donald E. Gumm, to whom she was married for over 56 years;e her daughter Donna ReNa Vanderkolk of Fort Wayne; two grandsons Tim (Ania) Vanderkolk of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Kevin (Colleen) Vanderkolk of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; four great-grandchildren, and expecting a fifth.e There is also one niece and two nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother David Kent; and by a nephew. Funeral services will be held at 10 a. m. on Friday, July 8, 2011, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Rev. Gene Rohrer, pastor of Oak Grove United Methodist Church, officiating. The family will receive friends at the mortuary from 3 to 8 p. m. on Thursday. Interment will be in the Highland Park Cemetery, Fort Wayne. For those who wish, memorials may be directed to the Mizpah Shrine Transportation Fund, 407 W. Berry Street, Fort Wayne, INe 46802 **********************