Shirley A. Hitchcock, 88, passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 9, 2023 in St. Peters, Missouri.
Born on July 10, 1934 in Easton, Missouri, Shirley was the daughter of the late Henry Edward and Alice Irene (Wiedmaier) Kessler. She was the third born of seven children.
Shirley was a graduate of the Sacred Heart Academy Class of 1952 and worked her way through high school as a live-innanny. After graduating from high school, Shirley moved to Kansas City where she resided at the YWCA and worked in the accounting business and employed as a banker associate at Northside Bank.
Shirley married Dale Leon Hitchcock on April 10, 1964 in Kansas City and the newlyweds relocated to the St. Louis area and started a family. First living in Florissant, then St. Charles, St. Peters and O’Fallon. Shirley was a homemaker and devoted mother. Shirley’s favorite people were her four children: Jeffrey Dale, Jill Marie, Eric John, and Emily Joan.
She belonged to Legion of Mary and other prayer groups and sang in the church choir. She also volunteered at St. Joseph’s Hospital and for the City of O'Fallon.
In her free time, Shirley was an avid reader and enjoyed sewing and embroidery and made many gifts for others. She loved a good bingo night and would visit “the Boat” to play slots on occasion. She loved the St. Louis Cardinals and a World Series win was a total thrill to her. She had a great sense of humor and was a fun-loving person who spent many a Saturday night dancing away at St. Joseph’s in Cottleville. Shirley enjoyed traveling and visited Medugorje in Bosnia, Lourdes, France and extensively throughout the United States including a trip to Squaw Valley where she met Groucho Marx.
Shirley is survived by her children, Jeffrey Hitchcock, Sheboygan Falls, WI; Eric (Gabrielle) Hitchcock, Scottsdale, AZ; Jill Hitchcock, Silverado, CA and Emily (Mike) DiCarlo, St. Charles, MO; five grandchildren, Kelly, Max, Alex, Leonardo and Cecilia; brother, Dwight (Deann) Kessler; sister, Lois (Robert) Taczala and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Shirley was preceded in death by her grandson, Oliver Hitchcock and brothers, Curtis, Glen Roger, Earl and sister Carol.
Visitation will be held at 10AM on Saturday, January 21 followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Hurlingen, Missouri. Interment to follow at Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Hurlingen, Missouri.
Arrangements under the direction of Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel.
