Gisele H. Shotliff, 94, of Mendota died Jan. 4, 2017 at Heritage Health, Mendota.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 at First Presbyterian Church, Mendota with Rev. Susan Presley officiating. Burial will be at Rockton Twp. Cemetery, Rockton. Visitation will be for one hour prior to services on Jan. 9 at the church. Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota handled the arrangements.

Gisele was born Nov. 27, 1922 in Paris, France to Oscar and Marie (Diettinger) Gross. She married Richard Shotliff on June 11, 1946 at the American Cathedral in Paris.

Survivors include her husband of 70 years of Mendota; one daughter, Corinne of Mendota; and three grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by one son, Stanley who died in 2008.

Gisele lived in Paris during the German occupation, working for the French Ministry of Fine Arts. After the liberation of Paris she worked for the U.S. Army in Versailles, France. While there she met Captain Richard Shotliff, whom she married in 1946. She came to the United States as a war bride and renounced her French citizenship, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1951. She taught French and was active in the French Club at the University of Illinois while her husband completed his studies. The couple moved to Mendota in 1955 after seven years in Rockford. Gisele served as president of the Mendota Community Hospital Women's Auxiliary and enthusiastically completed a profitable tenure running the hospital gift shop. She was active in the Parent Teachers Association when her children were in school. During the late 1960s, she provided a parent's perspective on the high school's Dress Code Committee. She was active in the Ladies Golf Auxiliary and was a member of many bridge clubs. She traveled widely and enjoyed reading, cooking and needlework.

Memorials may be directed to M.A.S.S. or First Presbyterian Church.