Shirley A Mercado

Shirley Anne Mercado

Age 81, of Hudson, Wisconsin, passed away on April 17, 2026. Shirley was born on February 8, 1945, in Lisbon, North Dakota, to Howard and Mildred (Kapaun) Kinzler.  She and her identical twin sister, Sharon, were educated at St. Aloysius Elementary School and Lisbon High School before attending Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota. 

Both sisters served as professional staff in the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. and with the U.S. Foreign Service overseas.  Sharon was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic and Shirley at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.  Both married U.S. servicemen in Germany.  In 1966, Sharon and Shirley were presented with the Outstanding Young Women of America Award by President Lyndon Johnson for their important contributions to the government. 

After completing her service, Shirley traveled through Germany for a year before settling in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where she worked four years at the University of North Dakota.  She later moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and was an active member of Toastmasters International, where she enjoyed giving speeches. 

In 1973, Shirley joined 3M in Maplewood, Minnesota, and became an Office Systems Supervisor during her 26 year with the company, while rasing her daughter Linda.  After retiring from 3M, she served as an Education Coordinator in continuing education programs for young women at St. Catherine University in Saint Paul.  She then returned to Lisbon, North Dakota, to assist her parents in their final decade and worked at Titan Machinery. 

Following the death of her parents in 2011, Shirley moved to Hudson, Wisconsin, to be near her daughter Linda and son-in-law Jeff.  She loved traveling with them in retirement and visiting with many “Dog Friends.”  She made friends easily at the YMCA with Linda, Hudson Hospital and Clinics, and nearly everwhere she went.  Many remarked that Shirley “never met a stranger” and remembered her ever-present smile. 

She lived in Hudson until 2024, then spent time in Fargo, North Dakota, with her younger sister Charlotte Knittel before declining health led to nursing home care in Moorhead, Minnesota and then Glenwood City, Wisconsin.  

Shirley had a lifelong love of foreign language and spoke Spanish, French and German.  Paris had a special place in her heart, reflecting her lifelong love of culture, language and connection.  She took great joy in engaging with others through language.  She also held close an enduring relationship with Anne, Laurent, Audrey, and Amaury of Paris, France.  She continued reading foreign language books and practicing Spanish and French with residents and staff in the nursing homes.  Several French books remained on her dining room table at Glenhaven.

Shirley is survived by her daughter, Linda Mercado and son-in-law Jeff Whitbeck of Hudson, Wisconsin; Siblings, Rev. Dale Kinzler, Charlotte Knittel, and Don Kinzler, all of Fargo, North Dakota; Kristi Hays (Frankie Hays, Jr.); many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Howard and Mildred (Kapaun) Kinzler; twin sister, Sharon and her husband Frankie E. Hays; nephew, Frankie E. “Bubba” Hays, Jr. 

Services

A visitation will he held Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 1:00-3:00p.m. at O’Halloran & Murphy Woodbury Funeral Home (8700 Valley Creek Rd, Woodbury, MN 55125).

A second visitation will be held Monday,  April 27, 2026, from 9:30-10:30a.m., with funeral Mass to follow at St. Aloysius Catholic Church (701 Oak St, Lisbon, ND 58054).  A luncheon at the church will follow the service, with burial at the Community Cemetery of Alice, ND.  

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