Shirley Frances Rucks

Shirley Frances (Eustis) Rucks, age 88, of Cambridge, Wisconsin, passed away on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Shirley was the second of two children, born to Lawrence and Frances (Rusch) Eustis of Cambridge on 26 September 1936.  

She attended high school in Cambridge, graduating in 1954, and went on to work at the General Telephone Company as a switchboard operator. In 1955, she married her former classmate, Carl A. Rucks. They had three children they raised at the farm on Hillside Road south of Rockdale near East Koshkonong Lutheran Church, where she attended church.  

After her husband’s passing in 1984, she continued to live an active life, highlighted by dancing and traveling, and eventually moved to Black Wolf on the shores of Lake Winnebago. By 2013, she had returned to Cambridge, settling into the old house on Terrace Street that her father had built long ago. She continued to be active, enjoying gardening, leading senior workout sessions, and attending weekly breakfast meet-ups with her friends.  

Shirley is survived by her sister, Laurie Onstad of Hopkinsville, Kentucky; her children Carl & Pat Rucks of Cambridge; and Kim & Gary Bertrand of Nekoosa, Wisconsin. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Brian & Jessica Rucks of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Eric & Samantha Rucks of Jefferson, Wisconsin; and Courtney & Jay Valai of Norman, Oklahoma; as well as six great-grandchildren.  

She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl; her son, Cary; and her grandson, Christopher Schroedl.  

A small, private ceremony is being planned for July.