Shirley F. Hughes, 85, of Breezy Knoll Road in Greenville, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on March 20th in the HopeHealth Hospice Intake Center, Providence. She was the wife of the late William A. Hughes. They had been married for 46 years.
Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Irving and Frances (Borden) Austin. She had lived in Smithfield for 61 years previously living in Warwick. She had been a resident hall coordinator at Providence College and a bookkeeper at the Smithfield YMCA before retiring.
Shirley was a selfless woman, a guiding light and a source of endless love. She valued her family as the most important aspect of her life. Her home was the gathering place for Sunday dinners where she always cooked amazing food and plenty of it.
Christmas was her favorite holiday, it meant each and every family member had piles of presents to open, which gave her such joy. Birthdays did not go by without a birthday song.
She loved to read and do crossword puzzles.
She was the devoted mother of, Cheryl Metrano and her husband Jonathan of Smithfield, Nancy Nobrega and her companion Thomas Danti of Smithfield, Kenneth Spader and his wife Janine of Cumberland and Edward Spader and his wife Mary of Barrington, NH. She was the proud grandmother of Ashley (Kyle), Hailey, Christopher (Chelsea), Jessica (Raymond), Christian, Daniel, Matthew (Ashley), Stephanie (James), Allen (Erin), and Cassandra. She was the great-grandmother of Everly, Lakelyn, Hudson, Desmond, and Callie. She was the sister of Gloria Hamel of North Kingstown, Thomas Austin of Warwick and John Austin and his wife Sharon of Daytona, FL. She was the sister of the late Irving Austin, Jr.
Her funeral will be held on Sunday March 30th at 1pm in the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. Visitation will be held from 11am to 1pm. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to HopeHealth Hospice Care, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02908 www.HopeHealthco.org