Shirley L. Hutton

Shirley L. Hutton, 88, was born on May 6, 1934. She passed away at home on December 31, 2022. Though her beautiful heart stopped beating that night, the love and light that flowed from it continues to shine bright in our own hearts.

My mom, Shirley, is survived by her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Norman. July of this year would’ve marked their 70th wedding anniversary. She was a devoted wife and loving mother to her four, grown children: Debbie, Danny, Doug, and David. When we were growing up, Mom often told neighbors and friends that she was raising “perfect children”. Though our spouses today discovered the real truth of that statement long ago; they continually teased Mom about how she must’ve whispered the words, “You are perfect in every way…” down into our ears while we slept throughout our childhood. Mom always met that accusation with laughter and a smile. Looking back on things now I see things a little differently. Her children may not have been perfect…but she was our perfect Mother.

Mom suffered from severe asthma from birth on. As a little girl growing up in Kansas, doctors told my grandparents that she would not live past 9 years old. My grandparents moved her to the dryer climate here in Colorado shortly after that. Mom defied that grim diagnosis and lived almost 80 years beyond what the doctors predicted. All of us are so very thankful she did! She spent those 88 years of life living, laughing, and loving with no regrets. Always at the top of that list was the love of her life, my dad; and her family. Beyond that, her joys were many. She loved spending time with family in Glenwood Springs. Mom enjoyed bowling, playing cards and working in her rose garden. Painting ceramics, making crafts, and re-decorating also made the list. She was passionate about eating sweets and for many years, loved pairing a glass of red wine with the Oprah Winfrey Show. I joined her in that endeavor many times! Though an extensive cookbook collection gathered on her book shelves over time, eating out was still at the top of her list of favorite things to do. When asked by one of her grandchildren, “What’s your favorite sport?” Grandma quickly replied, “Oh that’s easy! My favorite sport is shopping! It’s the only marathon I’ll ever run!”

In later years, as my Mom’s Alzheimer’s Disease progressed; it became evident that little bits and pieces of her memory were disappearing. Though the thought of that filled our hearts with sadness; we noticed that she also gained an uncanny ability to fill those holes in her memory with new thoughts. Those thoughts often caught us off guard. One day, I sat across from Mom and Dad in a Perkins restaurant. When the waitress came to take our order, Mom complimented this young girl’s beautiful complexion and eyes. Then she took note of the waitress’s nose piercing. In a very matter-of-fact tone, Mom proceeded to share with the waitress, “Oh…I had a nose ring once when I was your age.” As Mom turned to Dad for further confirmation, all my dad could think to say back was, “Well Shirl…I sure don’t remember ever dating a girl with a nose ring.” Even my mom laughed at his response.

Mom’s sense of humor never failed us, and neither did she. By the time her grandchildren numbered 12, one of her 15 great-grandchildren respectfully bestowed upon her the nick name, “Silly Great Grandma”. That name stuck for the rest of her life! And none of us would ever disagree that Mom wore that title well!

Saying goodbye forever is not something that any of our hearts are prepared to do. Life is God’s gift to each of us and is meant to be celebrated every day. But when grief weighs heavy on our hearts at the loss of a loved one, life can feel like anything but a celebration. From our earthly perspective, there isn’t anything about the moment of death we would dare to call beautiful. But looking down from Heaven’s side, beauty doesn’t even begin to describe it. For a child of God, death is merely the Voice of the Heavenly Father calling His beloved child home. Mom responded to that call on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2022. In that moment when she drew her last breath on earth, the Love of Heaven was present; restoring all that the Alzheimer’s Disease and its many complications had stolen from her for so long. In that instant, her mind was made clear again and the legs that quit working for her the last few weeks of her life; followed the feet that are now dancing in the streets of Heaven! Mom understands now more than ever before, what we on earth still struggle to grasp in our grief and our pain. There truly is Great Joy to be found even in the midst of our greatest sorrows. Mom’s Greatest Joy now is Jesus…and her greatest sorrows are now behind her forevermore!

“I will both lie down and sleep in peace,

for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

(Psalm 4:8)

Dearest Mom…Thank you for sharing your beautiful life with us; and for all the love you left behind. Though you may have left this world, you will never leave our hearts! We love you, Mom.