Shirley Joan Brill

 

We are here to honor and celebrate the life of Shirley Joan Brill.

Shirley was born in 1923, the second daughter of Howard and Vivian Ewing. Her family moved from Marhsalltown Iowa, settling in Milwaukee. During the Depression, Shirley's father became a superintendent of a CCC camp in Minnesota and so her mother tended the home fires in their Milwaukee home with 4 young daughters.

Bob and Shirley enjoyed telling the story of how they met. Shirley was an accomplished cellist who played in the high school orchestra. Bob played the violin. Bob's mother Sibyl had been snookered into purchasing violin lessons by an enterprising salesman who administered a test to determine if her son Bob was a ""musical genius."" Based on the clever efforts of the salesman, Bob correctly answered three of the four questions and was declared a ""near musical genius."" Given this uncovered latent talent, his mother purchased violin lessons for Bobif she signed up for a year, they would get a free case, another year earned a bow, and the third year the violin. Bob had no interest in violin lessons, but when his mother realized she had been tricked by the salesman, she decided to cut her losses and have him take the lessons. Hence Bob also was in the orchestra in the violin section. And so it was that Bob spotted Shirley, the first chair cellist. This is a picture of the Juneau High School orchestra--Bob wrote a caption above the picture that says...""The cute cello player caught my eye..."" And so their meeting was destined. After they had been married many years and were eating at a restaurant in Northern Wisconsin, a young waiter came up to Bob and Shirley's table and asked Shirley, ""Did you really play the cello?"" And Shirley said yes, I did. It turns out that Bob, who taught history at East High School, had told this story as part of a unit on the Great Depression and the lengths that music teachers had to go to sell music lessons during that time. The waiter had been one of Bob's students.

Bob was immediately smitten by Shirley and so began their magical love story. They were married in 1943 before Bob was shipped overseas for World War II. Shirley sold her cello to buy her wedding dress. She lived with her parents and their first child, son Richard was born while Bob was overseas. When he returned, Bob finished college at UW-M and they moved to Madison when Bob was offered a position teaching social studies at East High School.

Shirley and Bob had a lifelong love affair. Bob said that as long as he had Shirley, he had everything he wanted. She modeled what it was to be a real partner with your husband and that loving relationship was the bedrock of everything that they did. They had a deep and abiding friendship that weathered adversity and made their life together, with their children and families sweet.

Shirley was always looking forward to the next thing to make family life even more enjoyable. So when Scott was born and she felt that her family had outgrown the little house on East Lawn Court, she convinced Bob to house hunt. Shirley used to say that if it were up to Bob, they never would have left the house on East Lawn Court. But Shirley was persuasive and they found a house on Herro Lane in a new housing development.

Shirley wanted to be home with the children, but she figured out a way that she could earn a little and still be home with her kids. Shirley became a top saleswoman for Dutch Maid Clothing giving home parties while Bob watched the kids at night. This also provided a way to clothe the Brill childrenthe stuff wore like iron and they were still wearing it well into their thirties as the story goes.

Later, when the children were older, Shirley began working more. Despite not planning to work, she ended up with a distinguished career working for several Wisconsin State senators and later for the Senate Chief Clerk Don Schneider from the 1960's to the early 1980s. Shirley was a natural mentor and assisted new staffers. She was highly competent and well liked. In 2008, the Wisconsin state Senate passed a resolution honoring her outstanding service.

Shirley's real vocation though was her familyher love for her husband Bob and children was boundless. Shirley and Bob gave their children the gift of a secure and happy childhood. Meal time was a time when the family sat together to eat--these were happy occasions with lots of dinner conversation. Shirley and Bob knew what research now confirms about the importance of eating together. Shirley was a good cook, the Brills liked to eat and tell stories so family meals could last a long time. The length of time that the Brill family could linger at the dinner table talking was a longstanding family tradition that surprised some new family members.

Shirley read to her children, she encouraged music lessons and school activities, and created an environment for her children to thrive. Bob and Shirley played music with their children at ChristmastimeShirley on cello and Bob screeching on the violin and the children playing along. Only Shirley and son Dick had any musical aptitude so you can imagine what it must have sounded like but it was fun. Shirley loved Christmas and worked hard to make each one memorable.

Shirley looked for ways to bring more fun into life. They took the family up north to visit relatives and later rented a cabin in summer. Shirley and Bob started looking for a place of their own after a rental experience where the owners didn't want their children to disturb the pine needles. Shirley talked Bob into purchasing a cabin on beautiful Silver Lake in Hazelhurst Wisconsin by taking out a loan on Bob's life insurance. This was the gambler in Shirley but the family spent many memorable family vacations at the cabin and continue to this day. Bob and Shirley invited their brothers and sisters and their children, and it was another way to gather the family together.

Bob and Shirley found humor in almost everything and everything became the source of funny stories to be told later. Some of them revolved around mishaps with boats starting with an old wooden one that Bob had to seal to keep seaworthy. Inevitably one of the boats took on water after it was launched on Lake Catherine and they loved to joke about how quickly Bob rowed for shore.

Bob loved sports and Shirley loved fashionshe'd accompany Bob to a UW football game to see what people were wearing. Bob loved poker and cards in generalShirley could be talked into playing Hearts at the cabin on occasion but she could never stick one of her children with the Queen so that was a real advantage for the kids. Bob arranged family outings on bicycle trails and he got Shirley to go along by buying a bicycle built for twoShirley rode in back with her pretty feet perched on the peddles while Bob did the heavy work up front. Shirley was a good baker which fueled a sweet tooth in her childrenonly the Brills could go on a bicycle ride in the country and find an Amish bakery where of course they stopped.

Shirley was adventurous and loved trying new things. She encouraged Bob to travel and they took trips to Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, Alaska and many other places across the United States, especially to visit their grandchildren in Texas. They brought granddaughters Kris and Patty to Wisconsin for summers and holidays. They now have many stories to tell of their own now but chief among them is how Shirley and Bob flirted and laughed like the high school sweethearts they continued to be.

Shirley lost the love of her life when Bob died--her best friend and companion. She showed us how to bear this great loss. In her years without Bob, she modeled aging with dignity and humor and showed courage in the face of declining health. She continued to protect, mother and love her adult children and their mates, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved her youngest son Jon profoundly and took pride in the happy life Jon has living in the community. She adored her grandchildren who gave her so much pleasure and was completely enamored with her great grandchildren. Spending time with them was her favorite pastime.

Shirley led a joyful and generous life. She found happiness in our happiness. She nurtured her children who became compassionate and caring people, good parents and good citizens--just like Shirley and Bob.

There are no adequate words to thank Shirley for all she did and all she has meant to her children and her family. Her life was rich with meaning and purpose. Her family is living proof of that.

And now Shirley and Bob are together again. We love them and they will live on in our hearts and lives forever.

 

 

We are here to honor and celebrate the life of Shirley Joan Brill.

Shirley was born in 1923, the second daughter of Howard and Vivian Ewing. Her family moved from Marhsalltown Iowa, settling in Milwaukee. During the Depression, Shirley's father became a superintendent of a CCC camp in Minnesota and so her mother tended the home fires in their Milwaukee home with 4 young daughters.

Bob and Shirley enjoyed telling the story of how they met. Shirley was an accomplished cellist who played in the high school orchestra. Bob played the violin. Bob's mother Sibyl had been snookered into purchasing violin lessons by an enterprising salesman who administered a test to determine if her son Bob was a ""musical genius."" Based on the clever efforts of the salesman, Bob correctly answered three of the four questions and was declared a ""near musical genius."" Given this uncovered latent talent, his mother purchased violin lessons for Bobif she signed up for a year, they would get a free case, another year earned a bow, and the third year the violin. Bob had no interest in violin lessons, but when his mother realized she had been tricked by the salesman, she decided to cut her losses and have him take the lessons. Hence Bob also was in the orchestra in the violin section. And so it was that Bob spotted Shirley, the first chair cellist. This is a picture of the Juneau High School orchestra--Bob wrote a caption above the picture that says...""The cute cello player caught my eye..."" And so their meeting was destined. After they had been married many years and were eating at a restaurant in Northern Wisconsin, a young waiter came up to Bob and Shirley's table and asked Shirley, ""Did you really play the cello?"" And Shirley said yes, I did. It turns out that Bob, who taught history at East High School, had told this story as part of a unit on the Great Depression and the lengths that music teachers had to go to sell music lessons during that time. The waiter had been one of Bob's students.

Bob was immediately smitten by Shirley and so began their magical love story. They were married in 1943 before Bob was shipped overseas for World War II. Shirley sold her cello to buy her wedding dress. She lived with her parents and their first child, son Richard was born while Bob was overseas. When he returned, Bob finished college at UW-M and they moved to Madison when Bob was offered a position teaching social studies at East High School.

Shirley and Bob had a lifelong love affair. Bob said that as long as he had Shirley, he had everything he wanted. She modeled what it was to be a real partner with your husband and that loving relationship was the bedrock of everything that they did. They had a deep and abiding friendship that weathered adversity and made their life together, with their children and families sweet.

Shirley was always looking forward to the next thing to make family life even more enjoyable. So when Scott was born and she felt that her family had outgrown the little house on East Lawn Court, she convinced Bob to house hunt. Shirley used to say that if it were up to Bob, they never would have left the house on East Lawn Court. But Shirley was persuasive and they found a house on Herro Lane in a new housing development.

Shirley wanted to be home with the children, but she figured out a way that she could earn a little and still be home with her kids. Shirley became a top saleswoman for Dutch Maid Clothing giving home parties while Bob watched the kids at night. This also provided a way to clothe the Brill childrenthe stuff wore like iron and they were still wearing it well into their thirties as the story goes.

Later, when the children were older, Shirley began working more. Despite not planning to work, she ended up with a distinguished career working for several Wisconsin State senators and later for the Senate Chief Clerk Don Schneider from the 1960's to the early 1980s. Shirley was a natural mentor and assisted new staffers. She was highly competent and well liked. In 2008, the Wisconsin state Senate passed a resolution honoring her outstanding service.

Shirley's real vocation though was her familyher love for her husband Bob and children was boundless. Shirley and Bob gave their children the gift of a secure and happy childhood. Meal time was a time when the family sat together to eat--these were happy occasions with lots of dinner conversation. Shirley and Bob knew what research now confirms about the importance of eating together. Shirley was a good cook, the Brills liked to eat and tell stories so family meals could last a long time. The length of time that the Brill family could linger at the dinner table talking was a longstanding family tradition that surprised some new family members.

Shirley read to her children, she encouraged music lessons and school activities, and created an environment for her children to thrive. Bob and Shirley played music with their children at ChristmastimeShirley on cello and Bob screeching on the violin and the children playing along. Only Shirley and son Dick had any musical aptitude so you can imagine what it must have sounded like but it was fun. Shirley loved Christmas and worked hard to make each one memorable.

Shirley looked for ways to bring more fun into life. They took the family up north to visit relatives and later rented a cabin in summer. Shirley and Bob started looking for a place of their own after a rental experience where the owners didn't want their children to disturb the pine needles. Shirley talked Bob into purchasing a cabin on beautiful Silver Lake in Hazelhurst Wisconsin by taking out a loan on Bob's life insurance. This was the gambler in Shirley but the family spent many memorable family vacations at the cabin and continue to this day. Bob and Shirley invited their brothers and sisters and their children, and it was another way to gather the family together.

Bob and Shirley found humor in almost everything and everything became the source of funny stories to be told later. Some of them revolved around mishaps with boats starting with an old wooden one that Bob had to seal to keep seaworthy. Inevitably one of the boats took on water after it was launched on Lake Catherine and they loved to joke about how quickly Bob rowed for shore.

Bob loved sports and Shirley loved fashionshe'd accompany Bob to a UW football game to see what people were wearing. Bob loved poker and cards in generalShirley could be talked into playing Hearts at the cabin on occasion but she could never stick one of her children with the Queen so that was a real advantage for the kids. Bob arranged family outings on bicycle trails and he got Shirley to go along by buying a bicycle built for twoShirley rode in back with her pretty feet perched on the peddles while Bob did the heavy work up front. Shirley was a good baker which fueled a sweet tooth in her childrenonly the Brills could go on a bicycle ride in the country and find an Amish bakery where of course they stopped.

Shirley was adventurous and loved trying new things. She encouraged Bob to travel and they took trips to Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, Alaska and many other places across the United States, especially to visit their grandchildren in Texas. They brought granddaughters Kris and Patty to Wisconsin for summers and holidays. They now have many stories to tell of their own now but chief among them is how Shirley and Bob flirted and laughed like the high school sweethearts they continued to be.

Shirley lost the love of her life when Bob died--her best friend and companion. She showed us how to bear this great loss. In her years without Bob, she modeled aging with dignity and humor and showed courage in the face of declining health. She continued to protect, mother and love her adult children and their mates, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved her youngest son Jon profoundly and took pride in the happy life Jon has living in the community. She adored her grandchildren who gave her so much pleasure and was completely enamored with her great grandchildren. Spending time with them was her favorite pastime.

Shirley led a joyful and generous life. She found happiness in our happiness. She nurtured her children who became compassionate and caring people, good parents and good citizens--just like Shirley and Bob.

There are no adequate words to thank Shirley for all she did and all she has meant to her children and her family. Her life was rich with meaning and purpose. Her family is living proof of that.

And now Shirley and Bob are together again. We love them and they will live on in our hearts and lives forever.