Obituary of Shirley A. Hillman

Age 95, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.  Shirley was born in Elmira NY, a daughter of Manse and Ida (Finnegan) D’Onofrio.  She was predeceased by her husband Carl H. Hillman; son Mark Hillman; daughter Carol Hillman; sisters, Jeanne Szerszen and Angelina O’Brien.  Shirley is survived by her children and their spouses, Diane and Ken Houser of Elmira, Linda and Gary Tyra of Pittsburgh PA, Sharon and Daniel Lodico of The Villages FL and Keuka Lake, Carl “Butch” and Tina Hillman of Elmira, Nancy and David Sullivan of Elmira, Matthew Hillman of Elmira and Michael Hillman of Minnesota.  Also surviving are numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, niece and nephews.

A lifelong resident of Elmira, Shirley was a 1947 graduate of Elmira Free Academy.   She married Carl in 1950 and together they raised their 9 children.  After most of the children were out of school, Shirley went to work for BOCES, a job she enjoyed for many years before retiring.  Shirley was an avid sports fan and could watch most sports all day long.  She really didn’t have a favorite team, usually rooting for the underdog.  She loved to cook and go to the Finger Lakes.  Shirley was a member of a tight knit group of lifelong friends that would get together on a regular basis.  Once a year the group would assemble with their families to have a get-together.  She was a devout Catholic and had been a long-time communicant of St. Anthony’s Church until its closing.  Shirley was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother and she cherished all the time she was able to spend with her family.  She was the “coolest” grandmother ever! 

Family and friends are invited to attend Shirley’s Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick’s Church, 604 Park Place, Elmira, at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.  A livestream of the Mass will be available through the Facebook page for Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, https://www.facebook.com/ElmiraCatholic. Committal prayers and interment will follow at St. Peter and Paul’s Cemetery.  Those wishing may remember Shirley with a donation to CareFirst, 3805 Meads Creek Road, Painted Post NY 14870 or The Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, 1010 Davis Street, Elmira NY 14901.  

The Hillman family would like to offer a sincere thank you to Dr. Dauphin, Sharon Cosgrove and the Falck Cancer Center staff and a special thank you to Debbie Donovan and to CareFirst Hospice, especially Patsy and Jamie, for the professional and loving care they provided to Shirley over her final weeks.