Shirley A. Self

Shirley Ann Self (Bogner) was born on February 18, 1930 in Glendive, Montana to Joseph and Rose Bogner.

Shirley moved to Casper Wyoming from Dickinson, North Dakota in 1969. She was a Deputy Assessor for the Natrona City Assessor's Office from 1974-1996 when she retired. After her retirement she was a volunteer for A.A.R.P. and Hospice of Casper for many years. She enjoyed traveling to visit her children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, John Wock, and second husband, Richard Self; her sons, Keith Wock and Keane Wock; her parents Joseph and Rose Bogner; brother, Joseph (Bud)Bogner and sister, Claudia Bogner.

She is survived by four daughters, Gail (Vic) Halter, Las Vegas, Nevada, Doreen (Bob) Clark, Orem, Utah, Gwen (Carrie) Wock, Ramona, California, and Sheila (Carlos) Huff, Valdez, Alaska; son Wayne Wock, Casper, Wyoming; daughter-in-law Toni Tollefson-Wock. She is also survived by sixteen grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren, her brother Ron Bogner, Killdeer North Dakota and sister, Delores Deines, New England, North Dakota.

You can ask anyone of mother's 7 children about their relationship with mom and every one of us will declare her as "our best friend"! Shirley was a person of few words. She loved to sport T-shirts with one-liners that would double her over with laughter. "I may not be right every time but I'm never wrong!" "The mind cannot comprehend what the seat cannot endure!" "If you didn't have time to do it right the first time what makes you think you'll have time to do it again?"

Mom was a friend to most everyone she met. Her open hearted nature and ease with feeling connection with all of life extended to the more complex forms, including people. I witnessed her in the melting pot of the USA, New York amongst a rainbow of ethnicities, in France, in Hawaii, Alaska, the Deep South, in cultures remote from hers but always she engaged with curiosity, heart and assumed kinship.

I've got to mention mothers work ethic because she was exemplary.

Shirley had integrity and assumed no free rides in life. She worked all her life, outside of raising and caring for 7 children, she had 1 to 3 jobs in order to provide for us all. She wasn't one for complaints, neither giving them nor hearing them. Her lead was always, "do something about your dissatisfaction!" That was the end of such conversations.

Mother's essence was of a romantic, funny given she was pragmatic in every sense as well. She was moved by birds and the bees and flowers and the trees... plagiarism with intent, however only once retired did she elongate her stride and adapt a more relaxed demeanor in enjoying nature. Primarily the nature of children in early stages of discovery. She herself in later years with her pride and joy descendants, reclaimed a celebration and fascination with youthful enthusiasm not unlike theirs.

Considering what mother most taught is best expressed by open arms. Life was, is, through her eyes a perpetual miracle flowering, then giving way to nourish new forms of life expressed. Mother was a "yes" sort of gal to every new adventure.

Mother was a guru of spiritual kinship without claim to the title. Shirley was a feminist by nature and never limited herself from doing whatever needed to be done. GG (great grandma) was a lite with attentive presence even when language was newly being discovered and delighted in originality. A child's way of perception was the brightest gift she received. She never stopped learning and discovering. Her curiosity was pure joy. Her smile was easy and generous as was her sense of humor. Shirley was a humanist with fundamental values of kindness and goodness and would offer a hand to all that extended theirs towards her. Trust me that didn't translate to enabling or diminishing the inherent need for hard work, yeah, no free rides.

She embraced the belief that we are all works in progress and never stopped reaching for a better version of herself.

She was precious and cherished in ways words even when written in excess can't contain. But ok I'll continue to try. Just kidding.

Every one of us holds dear the essence of mother as sacred. She was that and held all she loved within the unconditional light of her love. Her wish was that we carry that forward within each of us and know through her eyes and heart the power within us is through our love for one another in these precious lives we live.

In lieu of flowers, Donations may be made in honor of Shirley's memory to your local Humane Society and/or local hospice. To leave a special message for the family, please visit the guestbook below below.