Shirley Miller Borel

Shirley Borel, 82, of Lafayette, died peacefully at her home on Monday, June 18, 2018 after an extended illness. Born Shirley Ann Miller in Sunset, she spent her formative years in Eunice, Louisiana, with her mother, Marie Aimee “Mamie” Miller (nee Crouchet), father, Ivan F. Miller, Sr., (both deceased) and three siblings, Marilyn Myers Shuff of Dothan, Alabama, Frances Odom of Eunice, Louisiana, and Ivan F. “Buddy” Miller, Jr., of Gueydan, Louisiana.

Persuaded by her family not to pursue a law career (as it would be easier to follow a husband’s career as a teacher), she earned a bachelor’s degree at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). While at SLI, she met that husband, William “Bill” Borel (deceased) of Abbeville, and the oil industry took the young couple to Houston, Texas, then back to Acadiana. Then, with two toddlers, Mrs. Borel completed her Master’s in Education at University of Southwestern Louisiana (ULL). The couple resided in Carencro until moving to Lafayette in 1968. Mrs. Borel is probably best known in the community as a lifelong educator, and she spent the bulk of her teaching career at Acadian Middle. There, to the delight of her students, and the chagrin of some of the staff, she kept terraria and aquaria filled with local flora and fauna – frogs, snakes, and various insects. Until she died, she wasn’t able to walk down a street in Lafayette without a former student stopping her to say hello.

When she retired in the late 1980s, she was better able to turn her attention to her favorite pastimes, birdwatching and quilting. Several times she participated in the Audubon Society’s annual winter bird counts, and she spent many hours quilting with friends, creating heirlooms for her children, grandchildren, and close friends.

She also enjoyed visiting her far-flung daughters, Michelle Borel Reisel, of Newport News, Virginia; Lisa Borel, of Pasadena, California; and Bridget Borel Avila, of Annapolis, Maryland, and her grandchildren, Nicole Hebert of Baltimore, Maryland, and Madeleine, Dax, and Jean-Paul Avila of Annapolis, Maryland. She moved to Brookdale Assisted Living in 2016. While her daughters and grandchildren were able to visit her recently, her goddaughter, Amy Myers, of Lafayette, was at her side to the end. All of Mrs. Borel’s family and friends grieve her loss and will miss her dearly.

Mrs. Borel and her husband were longtime members and parish leaders at Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church, where a funeral mass will be celebrated for her by Fr. Bryce Sibley on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 10:00am., and a rosary on Monday, July 2, 2018 at 6:30 pm.

The family thanks the staff of Hospice of Acadiana and Mrs. Borel’s caregivers for their compassionate care; and members of the faith community, family, friends, and neighbors who brought joy and support throughout her last years. Memorial contributions can be made to Our Lady of Wisdom Church, PO Box 42371, Lafayette, LA 70504 or to Hospice of Acadiana, 2600 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA 70503. Arrangements were entrusted to the Neptune Society of New Orleans.