Lillian Grzybowski Shirk

It is with great sadness that the family of Lillian Grzybowski Shirk, 89 of Aurora, Colorado, announces that she passed away peacefully on May 9, 2018. She was born to Harry and Pearl Grzybowski on February 19, 1929 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lillian will be lovingly remembered by her loving companion, John Shirk; her children, Georgia Ann (Jerry) Harding, Charon Shirk (Matthew) Berry, and David (Linda Wilken) Shirk; her sister Dorothy Simerl; her granddaughters Rebecca (George) Douglas, Denise Pierce, Cindy Hawkins, and Lea (Ethan) Rodriquez; and her great grandsons Trent and Ezra. She will also be forever remembered by her numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and dear friends. She was preceded in death by Pearl Grzybowski (mother); John Johnson (son), Ken Grzybowski (brother), and John Harding (grandson). She was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church for over 40 years and volunteered in many capacities. Lillian was well known as a lover of life. Her entire existence was given over to the service of others. She will truly be missed. In honor of Lillian, a Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, May 13, 2018, 2:00 PM at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home (11150 E. Dartmouth Ave, Aurora, CO 80014). Reception to follow in Heartlight center immediately following the service. Lillian was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a town that would see her grow up until she was 18 years old. She always had fond memories of her childhood and of her upbringing in Wisconsin. Lillian started out her working career as a switchboard operator. She moved to California and worked for Douglas Aircraft where she would meet her future husband. She was a lover of knowledge and books, a librarian at work and in her heart. She worked at the Exeter Public Library in California and later, the Aurora Public Library system in Colorado for 20 years before retiring. Lillian loved to volunteer, especially after she retired when she had more time. She was always looking for ways to help other people and give back to her community. She started out as a Camp Fire Girls Leader and later did a lot of volunteer work for the church, including prison ministry, tutoring at St. Pius X Catholic School, and daily readings at masses. One of her highlights was volunteering to help in the preparations for the Pope’s visit to Colorado. She also taught English to immigrant women. She absolutely loved crocheting blankets, hats, and mittens for babies who were born premature and blankets for people who were in wheelchairs in nursing homes and hospitals. She also helped individuals with handicaps learn to bowl. She helped others in any way possible. Lillian was a lifelong learner and was always learning something new: sign language, Spanish (so she could communicate with her non-English speaking students), and computers. She even went to clown school at Jolly Joey’s and volunteered as a visiting clown to children and adults in hospitals in hopes of cheering them up and making them laugh. She fulfilled one of her life-long dreams by completing the Marilyn Hickey Ministries bible study program. Lillian grew up on baseball, even playing with the boys during a time when “girls didn’t play baseball”. She married a pitcher (local leagues), and absolutely loved the Colorado Rockies baseball team (she knew every player). She was an animal lover, especially of dogs. Musically, she loved opera and musicals, and she especially enjoyed listening to her daughter-in-law play piano (who will be playing at her Celebration of Life ceremony). Some of her hobbies included crocheting and completing jigsaw puzzles. She was a “crossword puzzle extraordinaire” and an avid reader. She loved to swim and would go to the pool whenever she could. She liked playing cards and Yahtzee, especially with friends and family, and Mahjong (she belonged to two Mahjong groups for several years). She visited China, which she considered to be a “trip of a lifetime,” with a tour group. After church, she loved to go to McDonald’s with what she called “the McDonalds group”, people who met daily after church to socialize. Her favorite pastime in her later years was to sit on her porch swing and watch the people go by, talking about a variety of subjects with her son, and naming cloud shapes (dinosaur, bear, etc.) Lillian was a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She loved her family and was always excited to have them visit. She didn’t meet a person she didn’t like - she was friendly and would talk to everyone. She was especially fond of young children and had a special connection with the youth. She was a vibrant, active, and adventurous woman. We loved and still love her very much. We will miss her sense of humor, her wonderful laugh and deep heart-felt hugs. Lillian truly had a wonderful life! Please give your condolences to the Shirk family.