Angels Camp, CA…It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Shirley Ann (Semm) Franz, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend. She passed away peacefully the afternoon of July 11, 2023, at the age of 93.

Shirley was born on September 19, 1929, to Albert and Anna Semm in Sarona, Wisconsin. She was the youngest of seven children. After the passing of her mother a month after her birth, Shirley was raised by family friends, Otto and Emma Schardin, until the age of 5. She was then reunited with her loving father, 2 brothers and 4 sisters.
Shirley and her siblings would spend their days going to school, working on the farm, and thinking of ways to have fun despite the economic depression. In 1949, Shirley became royalty when she was crowned the Potato Queen of Washburn County, Wisconsin.

On April 28, 1951, Shirley married William E. Franz (Bill), a U.S. Navy W.W. II and Korean War Veteran, and settled in Cumberland, Wisconsin. There they welcomed four children before packing up the family car and heading west to join her siblings in California. They settled in Angels Camp in 1961 and added two more children to the family.
Along with raising six children, Shirley kept busy with work outside the home. She worked at Bret Harte Hospital in the dietary department and retired in 1992 after twenty-plus years as Supervisor of Housekeeping at Mark Twain Hospital.

Shirley and Bill always made time to take family vacations, that sometimes included trips with neighbors Donna, Bob, Kelly and Scott McReynolds. Sunday afternoons were reserved for family car rides exploring the backroads of Calaveras County.

Highlights of her life were the many family gatherings and holiday celebrations surrounded by her siblings and their families. Love, laughter and chaotic fun ensued. These traditions have continued with Shirley’s children and grandchildren.

Above all else was Shirley’s deep personal relationship with God. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Angels Camp and a volunteer for the Legion of Mary and many church-related events during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Shirley was preceded in death by her husband Bill, son Greg and her six siblings. She is survived by her five daughters, Kathy (David) Ford, Geralyn (Brad) Sullivan, Stephanie (Joe) Santos, Lisa (Jeff) Barnea and Annie (Ron) Tanner, fourteen grandchildren, twenty-four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Shirley will be dearly missed and will always be remembered for her quick wit, home cooked meals, love of music, and compassion for animals.

A private family graveside service will be held at Buena Vista Cemetery July 29.
Donations in memory of Shirley can be made to St. Patrick’s Catholic Preschool, PO Box 576, Angels Camp, CA 95222 or to the Calaveras Humane Society, PO Box 528, Angels Camp, CA 95221.

The family would like to thank the local businesses and their employees that went above and beyond to assist our mother with her needs. Most specifically, Angels Market, Middleton’s, Nash Chevron, Comfort Keepers, Hot Cuts, Mike’s Pizza, and Rite Aid.