Tulsa real estate agent, volunteer Jeanne Schirmer dies at 90
BY TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
Friday, July 13, 2012
7/13/12 at 3:08 AM
It was the one piece of prime real estate that Jeanne Schirmer wouldn't dream of taking offers on - her kitchen.
The Tulsan, who sold residential properties for several years, loved to cook there in her spare time.
And although her family was the most regular beneficiary, it didn't stop there.
A longtime volunteer for The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary, Schirmer's giving included baking cakes, among them her famous chocolate, for the sobriety awards dinners at The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center.
The dinners are held monthly, and Schirmer's daughters could always tell it was that time.
"When you walked in Mom's house - mmmm, it would just smell so good throughout," daughter Susan Hendrex said.
"She made everything from scratch using family recipes."
Jeanne Schirmer, who volunteered with many Tulsa-area organizations for more than 40 years, died Sunday. She was 90.
A service was held Thursday at the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church under direction of Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home.
A real estate agent by trade, Schirmer first got involved with The Salvation Army in the 1970s.
It was just one of the organizations that she ultimately volunteered with, however.
Among the nonprofit groups to which she regularly gave her time were Tulsa Meals on Wheels, DVIS, the Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association, and her church, the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Women.
An avid dancer who once turned her garage into a studio, complete with a wall of mirrors, Schirmer's service to the Cerebral Palsy Association included performing in the annual Red Glove Revue benefit.
For DVIS, she provided transport to women escaping abusive situations.
The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary might have been her favorite, though.
In addition to donating her time and cooking talents, she was also a major sponsor of many benefit events.
A native of Muldrow, Schirmer graduated from Cleora High School and attended what is now Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami.
She met her husband, D.E. Schirmer, while working at McDonnell Douglas in Tulsa and later got into real estate, working for Greene & Andress Realtors and Citation Realtors.
Schirmer was always itching to try new things, family members say.
Later in life, she learned to fly an airplane, something she'd always wanted to do.
Once, at a family reunion on Lake Tenkiller, she decided that wave-runners looked like fun, and just like that, she rented one.
"She was all dressed in white, not dressed for the water at all. But she didn't let that stop her," daughter Jean Ann Brinlee said.
"Mom loved life," Hendrex added. "She was very vibrant, a fun person."
Schirmer's survivors include three daughters, Sharon Thompson, Susan Hendrex and Jean Ann Brinlee; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Original Print Headline: Volunteer shared her cake, her time
Tim Stanley 918-581-8385
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jeanne Schirmer: A real estate agent by trade, she was always itching to try new things, family members said. Later in life, she learned to fly an airplane, something she had always wanted to do
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