Shirley Jean Burcham, age 90, of Fort Scott passed away Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburg, KS surrounded by her loved ones. She was born May 15, 1936, in Hepler, KS to Warren (Fay) Wheeler and Dorothy (Lorene) Barker Wheeler. She grew up in the Hiattville, Kansas and Bartlesville, Oklahoma areas, and then moved to Fort Scott with her family where she finished her schooling. She was involved in many activities including band, girls’ basketball, and Civil Air Patrol, graduating high school in 1954. She married Robert Burcham on March 19, 1954, and they made their home and raised a family in Fort Scott for the next 62 years.
Shirley worked for Whiteside’s IGA, Key Industries, and was a school secretary at Winfield Scott Elementary School, where she retired in 1995. Shirley and Bob took care of grandkids for several years after that. In her spare time, she enjoyed gardening, sewing, knitting, crocheting, genealogy, watching college and professional sports, and her favorite crime dramas and gospel shows on RFD-TV.
Survivors include a son Eric Burcham (Mary) and a daughter Chris Comstock (Rick) of Fort Scott; four grandchildren, Michael Burcham (Kira) of Decatur, GA; Amber Hunziker (Ryan) of Fort Scott; Hayley Crowder (Landon) of Springfield, MO; and Chase Comstock of Phoenix, AZ; four great-granddaughters, Cadence, Camrie, Kiptyn, and Keatyn Hunziker of Fort Scott. Also surviving are a brother Fletcher Wheeler and sister Cynthia Post of Fort Scott; sisters-in-law Phyllis Wheeler of Onamia, MN and Lynne Wheeler of Fort Scott; four nieces and four nephews, and several great nieces and great nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bob, brothers Jerry Wheeler and Rex Wheeler, sisters-in-law Kay Wheeler and Fran Burcham, brother-in-law Jack Burcham, and nephews DeWayne Post and Joshua Wheeler.
The family will receive friends at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, September 9th at the Cheney Witt Chapel with Eastern Star Services at 11:15 A.M. Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 11:30 A.M. and burial will follow in the U.S. National Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.