That was true 30 years ago, but we now have three lines that are so different they are almost different breeds.  Working line dogs should be able to work.  They are never found in a show ring unless it’s a working show.  Most show dogs today are American showlines, and a smaller number of West German Showlines.  The dog you had was a Showline.

She was very smart and playful,  loved all small animals and children.   She also liked men in uniform.   The employees at our business wore uniforms and she played with them.

Wynn Strickland wrote THE top book about German Shepherds.   She'd be about 100 now.  I live about 15 minutes from her house, still for sale with kennels, you could get it cheap.  

Most people don't have time to make a dog well rounded, to do it all.  It's very demanding and takes the whole family. 

Owning a kennel is just a small part of a breeding program. The person needs experience and dogs.  What city is the kennel located in?

I found this

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/delawareonline/name/winifred-strickland-obituary?id=8427494

https://www.canineprofessionals.com/international-hall-of-fame

This is actually obsolete,  she surpassed the number of AKC titles she earned after this was written.   I think she won around 220 in total,  a record still held posthumously.  The link in her obituary is not the right one.   She was a force of b nature, most people will never achieve her level of excellence but I've met some people that were jealous.   Going to dog shows with her I knew that I was with a celebrity yet she showed me a lot of respect.   I actually have her first computer, an old IBM Which she wrote her first book on.

Wynthea Kennels was located in Landenberg, PA with part of the property in Delaware near the Maryland state line.  There's a tri state section near the kennel where Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware state lines are just a few feet from each other.  

It sounds like you knew her well. A good friend.

Cool. Is it for sale?

She was a good friend.   We hung out too, I visited and played with her beautiful dogs, trained with her, assisted her in her practice,  went to shows with her, she mentored me, birthday parties, shopping.   Always fun.