Jenkintown native and Newtown Square resident Shirley McKee Shreiner, a beloved figure at Church Farm School in Exton, has died at 96, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Shreiner’s husband, Charles Shreiner Jr., served as CFS’s head of school from 1964 to 1987, and her dedication to the school was evident through her active participation in the board of managers, her tireless efforts in fundraising, and her involvement in social programs. In 2012, she received the school’s J. Tyler Griffin Award for ambassadorship.

“She was the epitome of graciousness,” her family said.

Shreiner and her husband, who died in 2004, lived for nearly four decades at CFS.

“She was a constant companion to Charlie and a common presence in our school and our scholars’ lives,” said Church Farm School. “She attended sporting events, managed the Chapel and the Flower Guild, taught manners and etiquette courses to the students, helped with makeup for the annual Christmas Pageant, and offered a listening ear when boys were homesick.”

Born in 1928 in Jenkintown, Shreiner earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Wells College in New York in 1949 and worked for a time in the laboratory as a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

“She was straightforward and a role model,” said her daughter Stacey. “She had integrity and strength of character. She exuded grace.”

Read more about the life of Shirley McKee Shreiner in The Philadelphia Inquirer.