Shirley Burr

Shirley M. Burr, nee Kirchhoff, was a caring mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She
died at her home in Park Ridge, Illinois on February 25, 2024 at age 94.
Shirley was born on January 8, 1930, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Lois and Leo Kirchhoff. She had an early
love of music and was a concert pianist who began teaching piano at age 14. Shirley was still playing the
piano right up to her last birthday.
Teaching and working with young people were both fundamental to Shirley’s life. She taught junior high
English in the Chicago suburbs before owning and operating a music and dance conservatory. She later
became the administrator at the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance where she worked until her
retirement in 2000. When she wasn’t working, Shirley loved traveling to Europe and was an ardent
Anglophile with a passion for British mystery writers.
Survived by her beloved brother, Gary L. Kirchhoff; 4 children: Victoria Sieradzki, Terre Robertson (Rex),
Natalie Rorem (Noah), and Daniel (Heather); 2 nieces, a nephew, and several cousins.  Proud
grandmother of 5 and great grandmother of 4, her last wishes were for her family to know how much she
loved them all.
Interment will be private at Lakeview Memorial Cemetery in Oshkosh. A memorial for family and friends
to gather and celebrate Shirley’s life will be planned for late spring. If anyone is so inclined, donations
may be made in her name to the Dementia Society of America.

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