Shirley Kay Hamilton was born July 8, 1941 in Pierce City, Missouri, the firstborn of Paul Clifford and Mary Alice Robinson. She was predeceased by a sister, Judith Ann Robinson, who passed in 2020. The family moved to Colusa in 1944 where Shirley resided her entire life. She passed away at home Sept. 28, 2022 at the age of 81.
Shirley graduated from Colusa High School, where she met and eventually stole the heart of her lifelong partner, Ronnie Lee Hamilton. They were married for 62 years.
Shirley worked various jobs over her lifetime, including bank and restaurant custodian, as well as working on tomato harvesters and in walnut processing plants. She spent most of her life being a homemaker and raising her four daughters Rhonda Kay Hamilton, Cherie Lee Wills and Heather Lynn Ortega of Colusa and Shalene Marre of Santa Maria.
Shirley had an insatiable love for animals. Her family cannot even begin to count the number of animals that she had over her lifetime. As she became more immobile, she especially loved watching her birds from her front window and made certain that they had plenty of food and treats in her feeders and that her windows were clean so she could watch them.
She leaves to mourn her loss her husband Ronnie of Colusa, her daughters Rhonda Kay Hamilton (Chuck) of Colusa, Cherie Lee Wills (Clayton) of Colusa, Heather Lynn Ortega (Alex) of Colusa and Shalene Marre (John) of Santa Maria. She leaves as well her loving caregiver Anahi Lara and her eleven grandchildren: Michael Hamilton, Joe Bashaw, Kaylee Maree, John Marre, Zachary, Seth and Sidney Wills, Alyssa Holland, Sierra Velazquez, Brittany Steele and Aaron Anderson. She also leaves great-grandchildren: Robert Steele and Wayne Holland IV.
Though mom loved flowers, the family asks that you donate to mom’s favorite charity: Friends of the Colusa County Animal Shelter 929 Bridge St. Colusa, CA (foccasanimals@gmail.com)
Private services are pending.■
PUBLISHED 10/06/2022 • COLUSA COUNTY PIONEER REVIEW #2022-0909