Esther Mable Shelley was born on December 19, 1917 in Iroquois, South Dakota to the late Lorenzo Benjamin and Julia Pauline (Hage) Griffith. She received her early education in Sunny Valley School-District eleven and graduated from Madelia High School in the Class of 1937. On March 22, 1946, Esther was united in marriage to Stanley Arnold Shelley in Watonwan County, Minnesota. This marriage was blessed with two children, Judy and Larry. After marriage, Esther and Stanley lived near Madelia for ten years and farmed near St. James. Esther was a homemaker and a nurse's aide during this time. In November of 1965, they moved to Windom where Esther worked in the toy department of Ben Franklin in Windom until retiring in 1982. On April 30, 1979, Stanley passed away. Esther continued to live in Windom until the spring of 2013 when she moved to Spencer, Iowa to be closer to her daughter Judy. She lived in the St. Luke's Lutheran Home in Spencer, Iowa until passing away on Thursday evening, April 28th, 2016 at the age of 98 years. Esther was a member of the American Lutheran Church in Windom where she was a member of ALCW, ladies circles, on the prayer chain and taught Sunday school. Esther had many enjoyments in life which included making lefsa and meals, sewing, gardening, and most of all, spending time with her family. Esther is survived by her daughter, Judy (Syd) Peterson of Rembrandt, Iowa; two granddaughters, Kim (Scott) Tiesma of Minneapolis and their children, Hayden and Laurel; Kris Buttweiler of Maple Grove and her son, Carson; daughter-in-law, Jeanette (Ross) Colligan of Maple Grove; nieces and nephews, Hope (Dan) Kordahl of Rock Rapids, IA; Faith (Bruce) Carter of Rock Island, IL; Julene (Mike) Kielman of Grantsburg, WI; and Lynn (Reme) Griffith of Madelia. Esther is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Stanley Shelley; son, Lawrence "Larry" Shelley; and brother, Howard (Shirley) Griffith. Blessed be the memory of Esther Mable Shelley.