Shirley J. Rayman (Lange), of Columbus, Nebraska, passed away peacefully at her home on August 4, 2026, at the young age of 88. Born on July 4, 1938, in rural Platte Center, Nebraska, to Gustave and Martha (Treinies) Lange, Shirley often joked that the Fourth of July fireworks were really in celebration of her birthday.

The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 11 at 11:00 AM at Highland Park Church with Pastor Mike Escen officiating. Private family interment will be at a later date. Visitation will be on Tuesday from 9:00 AM until service time at the church. In lieu of flowers, stones, etc., memorials are suggested to Camp Luther. The service will be broadcast live on Highland Parks Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/hpchurchne

Shirley was raised on a farm as one of six beloved sisters. She attended a one-room country schoolhouse, where she learned the values that would define her life: hard work, kindness, resilience, and love. There wasn’t much money growing up, but there was always more than enough love to go around—a lesson she carried with her throughout her life. Her sisters remained among her dearest friends, sharing countless laughs, conversations, and memories, often gathered around one another’s dining room tables for hours on end. The bond they shared was one of Shirley’s greatest blessings.

In 1969, Shirley married the love of her life, Joseph Rayman. Together they raised their daughter, Kristine. Shirley built a life centered on faith, family, and life’s simple joys. She was fiercely loyal and endlessly loving. Shirley never let a visit end without waving goodbye from the back-room window until your car disappeared down the driveway, and she never missed an opportunity to tell those around her, “I love you.”

To know Shirley was to know sunshine. She found happiness in life’s ordinary moments: summer days, walks around the lake, long boat rides, mornings at the YMCA, afternoons with her bridge club, coffee and donuts with friends, listening to George Jones, enjoying an occasional glass of Cold Duck, and sneaking Tootsie Rolls while walking on her treadmill. If there was a friend or family member she hadn’t spoken with that day, she was quick to pick up the phone. It wasn’t uncommon for Shirley to make dozens of phone calls in a single day, simply to check in, catch up, and remind the people she loved that they were on her mind.

Shirley was an exceptional baker whose kitchen was filled with the comforting aromas of homemade cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, and kolaches. She seemed to have a God-given gift for baking with rhubarb, and her tater tot casserole became legendary among her grandchildren, who will forever associate its familiar taste with the love she poured into every meal.

She treasured her family above all else, including her son-in-law, Dirk Wagner; her grandchildren, August Wagner, Bri Podraza (Wagner), and Elli Sanders (Wagner); and her beloved great-grandchildren. She cheered on her grandchildren endlessly throughout life, faithfully attending every activity, performance, graduation, and milestone she could. No accomplishment was too small to celebrate when it involved one of them.

Shirley also had a wonderfully spirited side. She was known for her “adventurous” driving, her hobby of belly dancing in her younger years, and her competitive streak on the water. With the right dough ball on her fishing line, Shirley could even (occasionally) out fish Joe. She always said she was “forever 29,” and somehow, her youthful spirit made it easy to believe.

Her love extended well beyond her own family. Shirley treasured lifelong friendships and was a frequent visitor to local nursing homes, bringing companionship, laughter, and kindness to those who needed it most. She had a remarkable gift for making everyone she met feel seen, valued, and loved.

Though her family grieves her absence, they find comfort in knowing her legacy lives on in every batch of cinnamon rolls shared around a table, every heartfelt “I love you,” every Fourth of July celebration, and every act of kindness offered to another.

Shirley will be remembered for the unconditional love she gave so freely, the joy she found in everyday life, and the countless lives she brightened simply by being herself.

Shirley leaves behind a family who loved her dearly and who will carry her memory in their hearts forever, including her husband Joe, daughter and son-in-law, Kris and Dirk Wagner; her grandchildren and their spouses, August and Kylie Wagner, Bri and Taylor Podraza, and Elli and Nick Sanders; her great-grandchildren, Jax Podraza, Margaret Sanders, Crew Podraza, Robert Sanders, and Macie Wagner; and her sisters, Ruth Brunken, Betty Harlow, and Joyce Lange.

Shirley was welcomed into Heaven by her parents, Gustave Lange and Martha Treinies Lange; her brother, Harold Lange; and her sisters, Mary (Jim) Chollar and Doris (Harold) Blair, brothers-in-law Harold Harlow and Richard Brunken.

Until we meet again, we’ll look for Shirley in the summer sunshine, the spring rhubarb harvest, every George Jones song, every Fourth of July firework, and in the image of her waving goodbye until we’re safely home.