Arylis Elaine Kirkeby

Arylis Elaine Scheffler Kirkeby was born on September 17, 1929. She was the eldest child of Fritz August and Catherine Lorraine (Braton) Scheffler, who owned a farm about six miles south of Barnesville, MN. Arylis was blessed to have five siblings with whom she remained close during both child and adulthood. She is a graduate of Barnesville High School. Arylis graduated from Moorhead State Teachers College in 1951. She taught for one year in Elbow Lake, MN, before obtaining work at Washington School in Moorhead, MN. From there, she found employment at Falcon Heights School in St. Paul, MN. In 1954, she married Oliver Murle Kirkeby (Kirk), who was a student at Luther Theological Seminary. In 1955, Kirks one-year internship took the couple to Minot, ND, where Arylis again taught school. When they returned to St. Paul in 1956, she was eagerly re-hired at Falcon Heights, where she worked for another two years. As Kirk accepted calls to serve the American Lutheran Church, the couple moved to Stoughton, WI; Chicago, IL; and Highland Park, MI. At each location, the Lord enriched their lives with a newborn baby. When her youngest child approached school-age, Arylis found employment with the Highland Park School District. During her tenure, she completed her Masters Degree from Wayne State University. After a total of 28 years in the teaching profession, she retired in 1992. In 1993, she moved to Marietta, GA, and enjoyed having many visitors in her southern home. In 2010 she relocated to Grand Haven, MI, where she passed away on December 24, 2013. Arylis is survived by a son, Paul (Ellen) Kirkeby of Boston, MA; daughters Beth (Clayton) Bennett of Acworth, GA, and Jayne (Carl) Platz of Grand Haven, MI; grandchildren Luke Platz, Faith Platz, Clayton Bennett, and Grace Platz; brother Herbert (Donalee) Scheffler of Sanborn, MN; sisters Barbara Ohm of Stockton, CA, Renee (Paul) Anderson of Sherwood, OR, Betty (Jim) Klande of Maple Grove, MN, and Bonnie (Jeff) Gaver of Oconomowoc, WI. Services will be held at St. James United Church of Christ in Barnesville, MN, on January 2, 2014. Visitation will be held at the church at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11:00. Burial will take place in the Prairie View Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established at St. James United Church of Christ in Barnesville, MN.