Obituary of Shirley Wilson

Shirley P. Wilson, 87, of Poughkeepsie, New York, passed away on January 4, 2017 surrounded by her loving family. She was the daughter of the late James T. Pitts and the late Florence (Clark) Pitts. Shirley was born February 23, 1929 in Rochester, New York. Her father passed away of polio when Shirley was four years old leaving her mother to raise four young children. Despite the hardship of the Great Depression and a single parent household, Shirley enjoyed playing with her siblings and spent many happy summers camping in the Adirondacks with her family. During the summer of 1945 while working at a seasonal camp she met the man who would later become her husband, John (Jack) Wilson. After graduating from West High School in Rochester in June 1946 she attended Plattsburgh State Teachers College where, during her senior year, she served as President of the House of Delegates. As President she attended conferences on behalf of the College to help draft plans to consolidate the various state colleges into what would become the State University of New York (SUNY) system. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education in May 1950 and taught in Elba Central School (NY), Ithaca Public School (NY), and Beecher Central School (Illinois). On June 30, 1951 Shirley married Jack and later lived in Chicago, Illinois; Great Neck, New York; and White Plains, New York; finally settling in Poughkeepsie in 1967 where she taught at the Reformed Church Weekday Nursery from 1970 to 1984. A cancer survivor since 1960, she was a water exercise instructor for the Encore Program, which was a collaboration of the National YWCA and the American Cancer Society to assist breast cancer survivors recover through counseling and rehabilitation. She would also volunteer as a driver for the American Cancer Society to transport cancer patients to and from their medical appointments, and with Meals On Wheels to deliver lunch to the elderly. When not chasing her three active boys, or at the very least wondering when they might come home, Shirley loved traveling, camping, and being outdoors. Reading was a passion and she often kept up with several novels at once by keeping one in almost every room in the house. She was a prodigious tailor, crafting clothing for herself, her boys (until they simply grew too fast to keep up with) and her grandchildren. She especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends with many an afternoon conversation over tea stretching into the early evening hours. Shirley is survived by her sons Bruce C. Wilson and his wife Virginia (Framingham, MA), Neil A. Wilson and his wife Rose (Poughkeepsie, NY), and Todd F. Wilson (Ashland, OR); her grandchildren Lindsey (Wilson) Salis and her husband Nick (Alexandria, VA), Ashley Wilson and her husband Santiago (San Francisco, CA), Rebecca Wilson and her partner Alexander Dietrich (Rensselaer, NY), Christopher Wilson (Atlanta, GA); and her great-grandson Mason A. Salis (Alexandria, VA). Also surviving is her brother James T. Pitts and his wife Joan (Rochester); sister-in-law Marjory Schuster (Syracuse, NY); sister-in-law Eilene Wilson (Glen Allen, VA); sister-in-law Ruth Wilson (Honolulu, HI); former daughter-in-law Carol Sbarge (Atlanta, GA), and many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, and first, second, third and fourth cousins. Shirley was predeceased by her husband and her sisters Edith Dixon and Anita Dresel. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at the Doyle Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York as follows: Gathering from 12:00 – 1:00 pm; Memorial from 1:00 – 1:30 pm; Post-memorial gathering from 1:30 – 2:00. All are encouraged to speak. For directions, please visit http://www.doylefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in Shirley's memory to the American Cancer Society.