Shirley M. (Killinger) Geer

Shirley moved to Connecticut in 2014, following the death of her husband Charles Geer. She served on the West Hartford Special Services Commission and the Heritage Association Board of Directors.

A native of Chicago, Shirley received her graduate and undergraduate degrees in journalism and political science from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. She began her career as an investigative newspaper reporter in central Illinois and worked for state and local government officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota. She was the first woman to serve as Press Secretary to the Mayor of St. Paul, MN.

Before moving to Connecticut, Shirley lived in Arlington, VA where she served as Press Secretary to Minnesota Congressman Bruce Vento; a Senior Communications Officer for the World Bank; and Communications Director of the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank. After her retirement in 2005, she began her own consulting firm, representing both national and international clients.

She is survived by her brother, Thomas Killinger of Southington, CT; a nephew, Andrew Killinger and his wife Aleks Killinger, and their children, Emma and Mason Killinger, all of North Kingstown, RI. Shirley's husband, Charles Geer, died in 2012.

Shirley will be buried with her husband at a private ceremony in Scarborough, Maine. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Doctors Without Borders, or Macular Degeneration Research Program at the BrightFocus Foundation.

To leave a message of remembrance for the family please visit: www.DellaVecchiaSouthington.com