Shirley Joyce Antill, age 85, of Gloucester, Va., passed away Sept. 14, 2014.

She was born 1929 in Buffalo, N.Y., to George and Esther (Sweitzer) Simons. At age two her family moved to Honesdale, Pa. After graduating Honesdale High School she pursued a business career with the USMC, thence the Atomic Energy Commission.

In 1951, she married Paul Antill of Ridgefield Park, N.J. They lived in the Rocky Mountains area for 10 years before moving to the Washington, D.C. area. After Paul’s retirement from the USGS, they relocated to White Stone, Va.

Her spiritual home was Campbell Memorial Church in Weems. Shirley was an active volunteer with the Hospital Auxiliary, particularly Seconds Unlimited. She started the first Red Hat Society in Lancaster County and was a contributor to helping the Rappahannock Art League open its building in Kilmarnock. In 2007, she and Paul moved to the Gloucester Court House area and joined First Presbyterian Church.

Shirley is survived by Paul, her loving husband of 63 years; three children, Lisa Hahn of Virginia Beach, Matthew Antill of Williamsburg, and Joyce Blevins of Harcum; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  

She was a self-taught artist specializing in watercolors and active in the Gloucester and Rappahannock Art Leagues. She enjoyed her travels in Europe, Asia, Indonesia, Egypt, as well as the United States, Canada and Mexico. Her other interests included flower gardening, interior decorating, handicrafts and reading.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Gloucester, on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. A private family interment will be held at Campbell Memorial Church in Weems at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Shirley’s memory to VersAbility Resources (Puller Center).  http://versability.org/join-us/donate/