June 5, 1934 – June 2, 2019
Mrs. Shirley Ann Butler McGillicuddy, whose designing ranged from clothing to gardens to jewelry, died Sunday June 2, 2019 at her home in Sandwich, MA. She was 84.
Born in St. Albans, VT and was the daughter of the late James Vernon and Margaret (Orth) Butler. She was the descendant of Peltiah Corliss, who was wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill and whose family founded Bradford, VT, where it operated a tavern frequented by the Green Mountain Boys during the Revolutionary War.
She graduated from Lowell, MA High School where she was a member of the Girl Officers and was an alumna of Boston University.
Mrs. McGillicuddy, working from her home, while raising four children, helped introduce Carnaby Street fashions to Boston and New York. Her copy of a London design included one of the first mini-skirts worn on Fifth Avenue, attracting unusual attention and admiring glances.
Her garden designs emphasized natural landscape features, resulting in small gardens surrounding broad lawn vistas. Her jewelry designs tended to be more formal necklaces and bracelets such as those work in business settings or seen on television’s talking heads.
Mrs. McGillicuddy was a former vice president and secretary of the Waltham Arts Council.
Although maintaining her “soccer mom” responsibilities, Mrs. McGillicuddy continued her own sports activities, primarily tennis, in which she won numerous awards on the Waltham tennis ladder and in team competition with the Weston Racquet Club.
However, she was quite proud of her first trophy—as a founding member of the winning bowling team of Temple Beth Shalom in Peabody—her only effort at Ten Pin Bowling.
In addition to her husband of 65 years, she is survived by son Sean McGillicuddy and his wife Jeannette of South Easton, MA; daughter Siobhan Foster and her husband Christopher of Ivanhoe, NC; son Patrick of Sandwich, MA; and daughter Shelagh McGillicuddy and her husband Richard Kelley of Orlando, FL. She is also survived by granddaughters Kerin McGillicuddy of Fall Fiver, MA; Colleen McGillicuddy of Berlin, MA; Kaylyn McGillicuddy of Worcester and great grandson William.
A Celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on Monday June 10th from 4-8pm at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home-Sandwich, MA, 154 Route 6A. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers please donate in Shirley’s name to the Cape Wild Life Center at; 4011 Main St, Barnstable, MA 02630.
For directions & online condolences please visit www.nickersonbournefuneralhome.com.
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