Shirley (Dickson) Hart , VRHS Class of 1950
RENSSELAER -- Shirley Jean Hart, 89 of Rensselaer, passed away on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at At Home in Rensselaer. Shirley was born on February 8, 1932, in Troy, the daughter of the late James R. and Margaret M. (Baker) Dickson. She was a account clerk for the N.Y.S. Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Survivors include her children, Bonnie (John) Erickson, Robin LaPlante, and Dale (Cheryl Hoffarth) Hart; and her siblings, Howard (Ruth) Dickson, and Margaret Dickson. She was the proud grandmother of Theodore (Kerry) LaPlante Jr., Elizabeth (Charlie) George, Michael (Loren) Hoffarth and David (Krystal) Ridgeway, and Colin Erickson; and great-grandmother of Teagan, Bailey, Silvio, Luca, Charlie, Ezra, Adam, Lilah, and Gage. She is also survived by 12 nieces and nephews and a multitude of great-nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her siblings, James (Catherine) Dickson, Flora (Wally) Cortley, and Lois Becker; lifetime-long partner Weston Cowles; and a great-grandson Aeden Erickson. Friends and family are invited to her calling hours from 4 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Wm. J. Rockefeller Funeral Home Inc., 165 Columbia Tpke., Rensselaer. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in St. Peter's Church, Albany. Burial will be in the New Rural Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Shirley's name to St. Peter's Episcopal Church Restoration Fund, 107 State St., Albany, NY, 12207.