Shirley Lucille McCormick Moravec, 95, a former Hinsdale resident, died Sept. 29, 2021.
Born in 1926 to Hampton and Lucille McCormick, Shirley grew up in Hollywood with her sister, Diane, who was four years younger. Growing up, she learned how to play the piano and guitar and sang in school choirs and the annual high school musical. Part of each summer was spent at the family cottage on Fish Lake near Hancock, Wis. She graduated from Riverside-Brookfield High School and was fortunate enough to attend one year of college at Simpson College in Iowa. She liked to go by the nickname of Mickey.
After college she worked, eventually winding up as an analytical chemist at UOP’s Riverside facility where she met the man she would eventually marry, Richard “Dick” Moravec.
Shirley and Richard married in 1948 and initially lived with Richard’s parents and her younger sister-in-law Marlene in Lyons. Although Marlene was much younger than Shirley, they grew very close. Shirley and Dick started to build their own house in 1951 in Hinsdale and moved in 1952. They lived in the house for many years, and after Dick died in 2007, she continued to live there until January 2018, when she moved to a memory care facility in Madison, Wis.
Raised as a Protestant, after her first child was born Shirley converted to Catholicism after undergoing instruction at St. Isaac Jogues. Although she was busy raising three children, she found time to teach guitar lessons to many local children and found time to serve as a Camp Fire Girl leader and Cub Scout den leader. Part of each summer was always spent at the Wisconsin family cottage.
As her children grew older, Shirley started working part-time at the LaGrange Park Public Library in 1973. She worked there until her retirement in 1995. Since she loved to read, it was the equivalent of working in a candy store for her.
Shirley was a skilled and talented seamstress, making her own clothes as well as her daughter’s. Her daughter’s wedding dress was a joint project between the two. Later in life, she discovered quilting, which she absolutely loved. She took classes and joined the Salt Creek Quilting Club, where she was a member for many years. She made a baby quilt for each of her grandchildren, a wedding quilt for her daughter and son-in-law and many wall hangings.
Shirley also loved being outdoors. She went on many long-distance biking/camping trips with her children in Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont. She enjoyed identifying wildflowers, trees and birds, always carrying her identification books. She loved riding her bike and rode into her early 70s. She continued her love of music later in life by being a member of the choir at St. Isaac’s for several years.
She very much enjoyed her grandchildren’s choir concerts and musicals. The whole family made it a point to be together for at least a weekend at the family cottage each year.
Her family was blessed to be able to celebrate her 95th birthday with her in person in May.
She is survived by her children, Jim (Lila), Tricia (Warren) and Rich (Karen); her six grandchildren, Davis (Libby), Cara, Brian, Scott, Elliott and Steven; and her great-grandchildren, Kaelee and Braeden.
Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Sullivan Funeral Home, 60 S. Grant St., Hinsdale.
A funeral Mass will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, at St. Isaac Jogues Church, 306 W. Fourth St., Hinsdale.
Interment is at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made online to St. Labre Indian School at https://www.stlabre.org.
