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Shirley Jones Tilk; nee: Richards


Shirley died on January 7, 2016 from breast cancer at the age of 77 years. She grew up in the Rosedale, BC area and in 1957 married Donald Jones who had been a neighbour. Shirley and Don moved to Merritt and lived there for 10 years. Shirley made friends in Merritt that remain her friends all these years later, including Eva Ianson with whom she travelled to England in 1978. In 1999 Shirley married Hans Tilk. At first they lived in Sechelt and later settled in the Langley area. They enjoyed their life together and made one another very happy, often sharing conversation over an afternoon glass of wine. Hans died in 2013. Shirley’s three children were a tremendous source of pride for her, once they grew up! Her children are Julia Jones, Lori Frederickson and Jay Jones. She also has two grandchildren, Daniel and Jasmin Frederickson. Shirley had many interests including scrabble, crossword puzzles, criminal trials, reading novels and science magazines, genealogy and American politics. We thank Donald Trump for providing entertainment in difficult times. Shirley began researching her family history before information was easily accessible on-line, probably as a result of her desire to learn more about her father who died when she was two years old. She completed and published her father’s family history, including genetically - derived migration patterns, entitled “Out of Africa”. She also researched her father’s regiment from World War I which included transcribing the “War Diaries” for this period. She found a second cousin, Sally Richards, in England through her genealogy research, a finding that enriched her family’s lives. Shirley attended SFU as an adult student, setting an example for her children to do likewise. She always enjoyed having a dog and was a supporter of the SPCA. She loved to garden, cook and bake. She was always trying new recipes. Her apple crisp and the Christmas time nuts n’ bolts were favourites. Shirley had great friends in Nancy Thengs and her neighbour Audrey Thorne. Shirley’s family thanks the staff at the Christine Morrison Hospice in Mission for all the care and support they provided to Shirley and her family. At Shirley’s request there will be no memorial service. No flowers please.



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