Shirley Ann Mordacq

Shirley Ann Mordacq was born July 11, 1933, in Springfield, the daughter of Charles and Anna (Rimkus) Mordacq. She is survived by one son, William Andrew “Andy” (Valerie) Smith of Holly Springs, NC; and by three grandchildren that she delighted in, Sophia, Zoë, and Isabelle. She is preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Charles, Edward “John”, and Eugene Mordacq.

Shirley graduated from St. Patrick’s Grade School in 1947 and from Sacred Heart Academy in 1951. She then served in the U.S. Navy as a photographer during the Korean War. Subsequently, she worked for Illinois Bell Telephone for 35 years as a staff manager, eventually retiring from Ameritech while overseeing Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin; she held management positions in Springfield, Decatur, Rock Island, Joliet, and Chicago.

For decades after her retirement, Shirley lived in the middle of the Shawnee National Forest (she loved nature and feeding the birds and deer) and was known as the lady with the ponytail and the gun. She pampered her dogs (Snow and Lulu) and cat (Miss Kitty) and let them get away with murder. A firm believer in “it’s five o’ clock somewhere,” Shirley loved a stiff drink, fried shrimp, tavern chili, fresh tomatoes, day-old tacos, and a quantity of sweets (and cigarettes) that is incongruent with her long life. Shirley was eccentric, generous, adventurous, cantankerous, stubborn, frugal, always remembered someone’s special days, and didn’t know a stranger. When it came to practical tasks, she could be the frustrating kind of know-it-all who would turn out to be right. She was a pack rat (“hey, that’s my good stuff!”), but a sentimental one. She could talk Wal-Mart employees into giving her discounts but did not pass that skill on to her son. Also, she overcame adversities with an uncommon tenacity; she clearly enjoyed proving doctors wrong when told her limitations.

Visitation is 5-7pm Thursday, July 7, 2022 at Staab Funeral Home in Springfield.

Funeral Mass is at 10:00 am, Friday, July 8, 2022 at Church of the Little Flower with Reverend Allen Kemme officiating. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery where military honors will be conducted.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Animal Protective League, 1001 Taintor Road, Springfield, IL 62702.

Share stories & photos at StaabObituary.com

©2022 All Content Obituary Systems