Shirley Stoll

Shirley Joyce Foste Stoll was born on May 28, 1941, in Peoria, Illinois, to Clarence Edgar Foste (1899–1984) and Elizabeth Ann Jurgens Foste (1910–1973). A longtime resident of Granite City, Illinois, she passed away at Eden Village Retirement Center in Glen Carbon, Illinois, on February 5, 2026 at the age of 84.

She is survived by her sister, Arla Jean Ault (Richard Ault, deceased) of Glen Carbon, Illinois, and her brother, Darrel Jurgens Foste (Linda Foste) of Middleton, Wisconsin. She was deeply devoted to her nieces and nephew: Kelly Ault (David Martinez) of Brooklyn, New York; Marta Ault (Ted Pepper) of Denver, Colorado; Elizabeth Foste Ackermann (Stephen Ackermann) of Madison, Wisconsin; and Christopher Foste (Yung-Ning Kang) of Taipei, Taiwan, and Middleton, Wisconsin. Also surviving her are five grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She was formerly married to Bill Stoll, who survives.

Shirley held a deep and lifelong love for the over-100-year-old family farm near Forest City, IL where she was raised, and often recalled fond memories of her childhood there. Her education began at Union #1, a one-room schoolhouse where she attended grades one through four. She later attended Forman grade school, junior high, and high school in Manito, Illinois.

Shirley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Theatre from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, in 1963. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1984. She was a beloved speech and dramatics, oral communication, creative dramatics, and history teacher at Coolidge Junior High School (Granite City Community Unit School District #9) until her retirement in May 1998.

Throughout her teaching career, Shirley was active in numerous professional organizations, including the Illinois Speech and Theatre Association, Speech Communication Association, Central States Speech Association, American Federation of Teachers, Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the Granite City Federation of Teachers Local 743, where she served as president for ten years. She touched the lives of countless students, and through her union leadership, made a lasting and meaningful difference for her colleagues.

After retiring from teaching, Shirley developed a strong interest in natural medicine and transformative healing. She attended classes developed by Deepak Chopra, the world-renowned pioneer of integrative medicine and personal transformation. She became a primordial sound meditation instructor and greatly enjoyed studying energy healing and metaphysics for over thirty years.

Shirley will be deeply missed by family, friends, and former students. In celebration of Shirley’s life, a memorial gathering will be held at Irwin Chapel, 3960 Maryville Road, Granite City, Illinois, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Friday, February 13th, 2026.

Memorial donations may be made to The Salvation Army Granite City centralusa.salvationarmy.org/midland/granitecity and Partners for Pets www.partnersforpetsil.org with contributions accepted at the gathering.

Obit Provided By:
Irwin Chapel Funeral Home