Obituary of Shirley Elaine Hillier

Passed away on January 29, 2018 at Grand River Hospital, after a brief illness, at the age of 84. Shirley was the loving and dedicated wife of Richard John Earl (Dick) Hillier. Dear mother of Rick Hillier of Kitchener and Sharyn Hillier (Peter Moffatt) of Kemptville. Loving Grandmother of David and Rachael. She will always be remembered by her special nephew Bill Frickey of Kitchener. Predeceased by her parents, William and Katherine Rueffer, her sister Kathleen Riepert, her brother Bill Rueffer and her daughter in law Sophia Hillier.

Shirley was born on April 20, 1933 in Kitchener and attended Kitchener Collegiate Institute where she met Dick at the age of 17. She married her high school sweetheart on October 15, 1955. Together they enjoyed 67 years of life together. Shirley worked at the KW Record until Rick was born in 1961. As a loving mom and stay at home wife, she learned how to sew and discovered she had a real talent, making anything from the kids’ clothes to expertly crafted drapes. Shirley was also a staunch recycler, long before it became fashionable, insisting that everything that could be recycled be put in its proper bin for pickup. She was also involved with her church, St Peter’s Lutheran in Kitchener, and then Mt Zion in Waterloo. Shirley loved the family cottage in Grand Bend, spending many weekends and holidays enjoying the beach.

In later years, she found a love for baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays, watching many games on TV with Dick. But her real passion was for her beloved Kitchener Rangers, her “boys” as she called them. Her favourite player was Ben Fanelli. She and Dick were long time season ticket holders and were part of the cheering section 5E, row L, or the “High Five” section as they were called. They tried to attend every game.

The family would like to express sincere thanks to the doctors, nurses and pastoral staff in the Emergency and ICU departments of the Grand River Hospital. The nurses in particular were wonderful and treated Shirley with admiration and respect.

Friends are invited to share their memories of Shirley with her family during visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Wednesday, January 31st from 7-9 p.m., Thursday, February 1st from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m.  The funeral service will be held Mt. Zion Lutheran Church 29 Westmount Rd S, Waterloo on Friday February 2, 2018 at 11 a.m. Reception to follow in the church hall. Cremation to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Grand River Hospital Foundation would be appreciated as condolences by the family and may be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.