Shirley M. Allard

Visitation for Shirley M. Allard, age 95, will be held Wednesday, August 26, 2020 from 5:00 until the time of the Prayer Service, 6:00 pm, at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 415 S. Buesching Road, Lake Zurich.

A celebration of life for Shirley will be held in Kewanee at a later date.

Shirley passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 20, 2020 at Solana Memory Care facility in Deer Park, Illinois.

Shirley was born on June 12, 1925 in Burns Township outside of Cambridge, Illinois to Everett and Lola Roberts.

For her elementary education she attended Fischer School (2 years) and Whitney Grade School (6 years).  Shirley graduated from Wethersfield High School in Kewanee, Illinois in 1943.  She entered nurses training at St. Francis School of Nursing in Kewanee, Illinois and graduated in 1947.  On September 6, 1947, she married John W. Allard at Visitation Church in Kewanee.  Over the next 31 years, she practiced Nursing at St Francis Hospital, Kewanee Public Hospital and Leisure Hills Nursing Home, all in Kewanee, Illinois.

From 1939 to 2010, Shirley was involved in the Burns Grange, holding various positions, cooking chicken dinners for fundraisers, and in 2010 was a recipient of the Lifetime Membership award.

Shirley is survived by her children, Robert (Sandra) Allard, Lake Zurich, IL, James (Debbie) Allard, Waukesha, WI, Richard (Linda) Allard, Bolingbrook, IL, and Patricia (Thomas) Turman, Miramar, FL; grandchildren, Becky, Jason, Sarah, Rachel, Andrea, Vince, Jaret and Cody; great-grandchildren, Kaya, Kennedy, Aiden, Jacob, Chiane, and Dylan with 3 more on the way. She was preceded in death by her husband, John W. Allard; parents, Everett and Lola Roberts (nee Shreck); a brother in childbirth and sister, Donna Stahl.

Shirley’s hobbies and activities included Grange Hall, cooking and baking.  She was an excellent cook and never turned away a stranger.  Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the light of her life.  She attended many of their school events, always the proud grandmother.  Shirley loved watching the Cubs and traveling.

She was a lifelong member of Visitation Church in Kewanee and was well known for her nursing skills.

Shirley was a beloved mom, aunt, grandma, and great-grandma, neighbor and friend to many.  She will be missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Shirley’s memory to the Visitation School Foundation, attention: Sports Activities, 107 S. Lexington Avenue, Kewanee, Illinois, 61443.