Obituary of Shirley Russell

RUSSELL: After a very brief illness, Shirley Russell (née Hamilton) passed away at Brandon Regional Health Centre on February 24, 2020, with family by her side. Left to mourn her passing and celebrate her life are her children Colin (Alice), Naomi (Jeff Green), and Hugh (Craig Terry); grandchildren Cameron, Kayleigh, and Ella Russell; brother Richard Hamilton (Linda); and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband John and her parents, Charles and Edna Hamilton. Shirley was born in 1937 and raised on the family farm in Ochre River. She attended United College, receiving a BA in French and a teaching certificate. She worked briefly for Great-West Life in Winnipeg, then boarded a steamer to Europe for several months of travel. A highlight of the trip was the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, where she saw Benny Goodman and his orchestra perform. She taught French at Rivers Collegiate, and married fellow teacher John Russell in 1963. Shirley was very active in the community: with Rivers United Church as choir director and member of the UCW; Rivers community recycling coordinator; Board member of the Westman Youth Choir and Rolling River Festival of the Arts; and a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. For several years she played violin in the Rivers Orchestra. She took great pride in raising her children, including accompanying them in festival performances; her homemaking, cooking, baking, and gardening; summer camping trips; researching and developing family trees of the Hamiltons and her mother's family, the Chalmers of Brandon; and convening periodic family reunions. She enjoyed choral and orchestral concerts, watching curling (particularly Brad Gushue!), and lunches and coffee klatches with friends and neighbours. She loved horseback riding in her youth, cross-country skiing in her middle years, and was an avid walker, right up until three days before her passing, stoically carrying on despite health setbacks with breast cancer and diabetes. Shirley loved catching up on the activities of her children and grandchildren and encouraging them in their scholastic, musical, and athletic pursuits. Shirley enjoyed recent family trips to Newfoundland in 2017 and Prince Edward Island in 2019. A Celebration of Shirley's life will be held at Rivers United Church, 339 Main St, Rivers, MB, on Monday, March 2, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Donations in memory of Shirley may be made to Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation, Western Manitoba Cancer Centre, 150 McTavish Ave. E., Brandon, MB, R7A 2B3, or a charity of choice.