Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher, and friend, Dr. Robert L. Shrigley, 76, of State College, died Thursday, February 2, 2006 at The Fairways, Brookline Village.
He was born on April 10,1929 in Zanesville, OH to the late W. Herbert and Mary Ester Irwin Shrigley.
He graduated from Manchester High School, Reinersville, OH in 1947. One of his great loves during high school was intervarsity basketball. In 1947 he began attending Ohio University in Athens, OH to pursue a teaching degree.
He met his wife , Charlotte Merckle of Moxahala, OH in a Music Methods Course. The couple were married September 2, 1952.
He served his country in the Korean Conflict.
He graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelors Degree in 1953 and Masters Degree in 1954. While persuing his Masters Degree and several years after, he taught 5th grade at Rufus Putnam Elementary School which was a training school affiliated with O.U.
In 1964 he, his wife, and three children traveled to Kano Nigeria, West Africa under the sponsorship of Ohio University - USAID. While there he prepared the syllabus for and taught science methods to students at the Kano Teachers Training College. He and his family spent a total of twenty two months in Nigeria.
In 1966 he began his D. Ed. at Penn State. He graduated in 1968 and was invited to stay on the faculty in the College of Education. His main area of teaching and research was science and the teaching of science. In 1991 The National Association for Research in Science Teaching presented him with The Distinguished Contribution to Science Education Through Research Award.
He was also interested in developing teaching skills pertaining to discipline in the classroom. Not only did he share his coping skills with his college students, but with several churches in our area.
After retiring he enjoyed working with flowers in his yard, amateur photography, traveling with his wife and working with Retiree Fellowship, a peer group which he and Charlotte organized in 1993. He and Charlotte are members of the Calvery Baptist Church.
He leaves behind his wife, Charlotte, daughters Sharon Cosentino and her husband Guy of Barker, NY; Melanie Wolfe and her husband Nate of Landisburg, PA; six grandchildren, Heather Shrigley, Amy Cosentino Crafts, Adam Shrigley, Julie Cosentino, Marlena Cosentino, Tom Wallace-Wolfe; two great grandsons, Chase and Ty Crafts; two brothers, Carmi Shrigley and his wife Beverly of Zanesville, OH, Larry Shrigley and his wife Marti of Pataskala, OH; one sister, Carolyn Cross and her husband Jim of Massillon, OH; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a son, Bob Jr. and a sister, Norma Bailey.
A visitation will be from 2:00 to 4:00, and 6:00 to 8:00 PM Friday, February 3, 2006 at the Mark D. Heintzelman Funeral and Cremation Services PC, 1034 Benner Pike, State College, PA 16801. The funeral services will be at 1:00 PM Saturday, February 4, 2006 at The Calvary Baptist Church, 1250 University Dr., State College, PA 16801 with the Rev. Dan Nold officiating. Burial will follow at the Centre County Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Alzheimers Association, 2790 W. College Ave., State College, PA 16801.
A guest book can be signed at www.heintzelmanfuneralhome.com