Shirley P. Hrabko

Shirley Peterson Hrabko was born on July 8, 1918 in Jamestown, New York. Her father was a mail carrier and her mother was a teacher and a homemaker. She had one brother, Bertram. She grew up in the Jamestown area and had a wonderful childhood. After high school she moved 3 hours away to Youngstown, Ohio to attend Youngstown College and train to be an elementary education teacher. One evening after a night class she and some friends were going out for a hamburger and while walking across campus one of her friends saw a guy he knew and invited him to join the group. That guy was Paul Hrabko. It was a cold night, Paul offered Shirley his coat, and that was the beginning of a love story that would last over 50 years. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in 1941, Shirley taught for a year before marrying Paul on May 31, 1942. By then World War II was in full swing. Shirley was pregnant with their first child, Daniel, when Paul left for Okinawa. Danny was born in 1946 but was almost a year old when his father first saw him. When Paul’s time in the Army was over, they settled in the Youngstown, Ohio area. In 1949 they were blessed with their second child, Randall, and in 1955 Paula was born.

They had family and friends in Ohio and life was good. But Paul hated the snow and dreamed of living in California or Florida. Leaving friends and family in New York and Ohio was a big deal back in those days but Paul was an adventurer and Shirley was never bored! His dream came true when he was offered a job with the State Chamber of Commerce in Jacksonville, Florida and the family moved in 1957. Two years later another job opportunity moved them again to the West Palm Beach area where Shirley and Paul would spend the next 40 or so years.

Shirley loved being a wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker. She was always active in church and community activities. She served on the Board of United Methodist Women as well as Church Women United. Shirley was always involved in teaching and learning. When their youngest, Paula, was in junior high Shirley returned to teaching and taught in the gifted program for a few years and also served as a substitute teacher for many more years. In her retirement years she volunteered at the local library’s after-school tutoring program and the Historical Society’s pioneer home. She loved to sew and, along with friends in her sewing circle at church, made clothes for the migrant farm workers children, walker bags for the nursing homes, and blankets for newborns. All of her granddaughters had princess dresses that Grandma made. Shirley loved her family.

In 2008, she moved to Tallahassee to be with Paula’s family. Shirley joined Killearn United Methodist, enjoyed the Saints Alive group, and made new friends here. She enjoyed playing Bridge and her life was enriched by lovely women in her Bridge group. In 2015, as her health began to decline, the Lord blessed her with an amazing team of Christian caregivers. These women not only took care of her but became friends to Shirley. They would read the Bible and daily devotions, laugh, talk, and work crossword puzzles together. On February 14th, 2016, she quietly slipped from this earthly life to the life eternal. It seemed the proper time for her to take her flight…it was Valentine’s Day and she had a date with her sweetheart, Paul.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Paul Hrabko (1996) and her Granddaughter, Heather Hrabko (2015). Survivors include her three children: Daniel Hrabko (Anne Lloyd MacGill), Dr. Randall Hrabko (Raquel), and Paula Donaldson (Earl); Grandchildren: Stephen Hrabko (Elizabeth), Nancy Jane Schimmel (Casper), Jonathan Hrabko, Melinda Donaldson, and Paul Donaldson.

Shirley’s life was a life well lived. She ran the race and finished it well. She will be missed by many but she is in the presence of the Lord and enjoying a grand reunion with her loved ones in heaven!

A few words from Paula:

My mother was a woman of many talents. She was very creative and loved to sew. She made most of my clothes, costumes, multiple princess dresses for all the granddaughters, a prom dress, quilts for each grandchild, and with her sewing circle at church regularly made clothing for the migrant farm workers’ children and walker bags for the nursing homes.

She could write. After she and Dad were empty nesters they began to travel and she would write these wonderful travel logs that were interesting and funny! People always enjoyed reading her Christmas letters. She probably could have been an author had she chosen to do so.

She loved playing card games with the grandchildren and Bridge with friends. Growing up I remember her playing Bridge with the same group of ladies for years: Pat Herder, Patsy Nora, and Kay Sweeney. So when she moved to Tallahassee I helped her form a new Bridge group: Margaret, Patti, and JoAnne - I so wish I had taken photos of her new group. They really enjoyed each other.

She had a marvelous wit and sense of humor. She always seemed to have a funny pun or one-liner to say. She made us all smile. That talent skipped me but my son has inherited it from his Grandma!

She was kind and nurtured those around her. She received notes recently from a couple of my childhood friends whose lives were enriched by my Mom. She invested in their lives.

She made friends easily and she was a good friend to others. She still kept in contact with friends from her childhood and college days. A couple of years ago Randy and his wife Raquel, took Shirley on a Road Trip in an RV to see family and friends and she visited her friend, Faye, with whom she had been friends literally all of her life – her mother and Faye’s mother were friends and pregnant at the same time with the girls so they used to laugh and say they had been friends since before they were born! Last week she got a card from a college friend, Ruthie, who recalled some funny stories and said she and Mom had been friends for 79 years! After Dad died she traveled to Alaska with her friend, Pat, and Hawaii with her friend, Roz. Sadly, she outlived those and many other life-long friends.

She tried to make the best of every situation and be grateful. As she aged she became less worried about daily concerns and began to trust God for even the little things in life.

Having Mom live with us was not always easy – for her or for us. But as a friend put it, “We did not always love perfectly, but we did love”.

As a child I just accepted the parents I had and didn’t give it much thought. Later, as an adult, I realized how wonderful my childhood was. I have been incredibly blessed to have had her as my mother.

When she passed quietly and peacefully this past Sunday evening, it seemed the proper time…It was Valentine’s Day and she had a date with her sweetheart, Paul.