You weren't a scientist, a scholar, a doctor, or a lawyer...maybe a chief. Yours was about family, friends, travel and the appreciation of others.

There were very sad loses and hard lessons to suffer alone because in your time and how you were raised, problems and feelings were not discussed. Yours was a stalwart path. And there was this question of god and faith, also something not discussed but more present when death is imminent.

When we were growing up you would say: "I do not talk about sex, religion, or politics." And then you would listen anyway, not having to say anything except: " Ok...have you expressed everything you needed to? Are you ok now? Alright run along and play." As for the adult conversations that took lead over your quiet presence, maybe you nodded affirmatively and then asked what time it was or a pragmatic something to move the conversation along.

Mom you had a valiant heart and a forgiving nature not without the grumbles but no drama and a long life to know what was really important. Maybe for you it wasn't about questions and answers or the search for a form to hold it altogether like "sex, religion, and politics." Maybe grace just let you be present.

Afterall you could nod and smile to friend and stranger alike - as is said "tipping your hat". (...and you looked so good in hats, mom but they messed up your perm. Thankfully you modelled all sorts of head gear for our tickled memories.)

Faith is born from not knowing.

But kindness comes from consciousness.

Here is a poem for you mom...

Abou Ben Adhem, published 1834, written by Leigh Hunt

"Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight within his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:-

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?" - The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of sweet accord,

Answered "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay,not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great awakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Admens led all the rest."

Remembering our Mother, Sheila and our Grandmother, Nana (Mary Jack) and Great Grandmother GG on International Women's Day March 8th, 2026. We remember the gift of life, and hold gratitude within our hearts

dears

Valentine

Whenever mom visited family the dogs would run to her arrival, dangerously follow under foot and jump up on her lap before a pillow or blanket could cover her very thin skin. It was always an event crossing the threshold of canine welcome.

Perhaps they sensed her history of raising dogs along with the children or enough is enough that they wanted to thank her, applaud her, give her energy for her venerable age? Mom would answer; "No, it's the massages."

Mom was a "good egg", a typically british informal idium describing a person who is kind, reliable, trustworthy and generally pleasant to be around. A high compliment for her excellent character as illustrated by the faithful enthusiam of her grand-dogs

in spirit, mom...you are with us

A younger picture of mom and our nana, Sheila's mother Mary.

Sometimes it was just phone calls like when to put your clock back, when to move it forward, wishing a Happy New Years and sometimes a bit more than an holiday hello.

We miss mom's listening, hearing each other's news and sometimes speaking of our difficulties.

Eventually mom teaches you to say; "I have to go to the bathroom." or "someone is at the door." to get out of too long of a conversation.

Having learned to speak in proportion to the fragility this age the "other" world changes things.

We are coming to a New Year 2026 in real time and a new year understanding that "going away is returning."

Mom, you have become ageless and omnipresent!

You are now the most beautiful mom, grandmother, and great grandmother in All the Worlds."

And you are delighted, no doubt for the appreciation as we are for you.

Talk soon.

Happy New Year Mom!

Sheila with christmas light

Mom baked for Christmas 'way ahead of time ... minced tarts, shortbread, christmas cake etc. Everything was frozen until the arrival of festivities. Michael and Elizabeth would sneak down to the basement freezer little by little sneaking a sweet treat until one year a tin was opened to reveal half-full. We don't remember a harsh reprimand but the freezer was locked ever since.

We'd wake up to the smell of fried pickerel cheeks, scrambled eggs, toast, and gratefruit w/ a cherry on top. One gift was opened on Christmas eve usually pj's. Well fed, well dressed we anxiously waited on dad to be ready with his kodak Brownie movie camera. Then we could see Santa's gift beneath the lit tree.

Dinner was with all the trimmings including cracker hats.

Boxing Day was party time for the adults.

The kids ate with abandon and some were known to nib a bit from the spirit dispenser.

Mom put all of this together ... everyday keeping it all together!

A stay at home mother, who found a job working at the Hudson Bay Company when the kids were old enough and later financially assisted and cared for her husband until his death.

Kathy brought forth the next generation of family and celebration.

Mom was blessed with her grandaughter Robyn, great grandaughter Ruby and great grandson Hudson.

It is a gift to know your mother's loving over the years ... to realize the countless sacrifices made as the generations exceed one and another.

It would be hard-put into words at any singular moment what you did every day for us, Mom and then some and then some more.

Thank you, we love you.

This photo was picked though not christmassy at first glance. It's the look on mom's face, the slight physical distance between the two elicits respectful calm assurance, the joy and the love for her great grandaughter Ruby, the pride for who Ruby will become. This reminds one of the spirit in any season.

"God bless us, everyone."

In remembrance of Sheila on her birthday Dec. 8th, 1929.

Mom would have been 96 today. Sheila passed away just before her 95th. Her heart and mind never imagined that death was imminent ... such was her formidable spirit wrapped in a wobbly frame ever-ready for visits, drives, and family meals though mom ate but a bowl-size no bigger than the palm of her hand ... unless it was ice cream..

It was about being with family dressed up in her best clothes and red lipstick on ... watching, listening, laughing to tears over the chatter of stories and ... dispensing the occasional side-look.

Our prima donna as in first lady tended the most important parts of life. That's how a mother becomes a GREAT grandmother.

Mom was asked what she had hoped for through the lessons of her life and she answered, " to be a nice person".

So with this earlier photo of Sheila and great granddaughter Ruby, we celebrate today and give thanks for your goodness.

And as Michael says "Everyone have a bowl of your favourite ice cream to celebrate MOM."

1000 x X's

love always

remembering Sheila and John, a few years married...

love this photo of mom 50ish

This is a wonderful photo with Nana, Mary Jack Downes (nee Whitelaw) and her mother we lovingly called GG., Joan and Sheila, Nana's daughters are holding Sheila's first born Michael. Nana and GG are holding Joan's first born twins John and David.

Through the years Nana would visit Aunty Joan and Uncle David's family in Redfield S.D. dearly loved by all her grandchildren and when in Winnipeg sleepovers were the best. She loved Pepsi and chips and there were treats like christmas pudding before Christmas even began. Our bed was her big puffy couch, cream with huge colourful florals. There was a Russell Flint limited edition watercolour "Eve with Her Net" so mysterious and life-like that hung across from the couch above an elegant antique writing desk. There were other landscape oil paintings too by in-law L. Fielding Downes. She had antique minature framed floral needlepoints hanging on the wall and royal dalton ornaments displayed on the side tables. It was an aesthetic pleasure seeded in one's soul!

She used to say in a quiet voice: "not so loud, I am right here beside you." and "look it up in the dictionary."

There was beauty in her home and her presence. We just wanted to be near Nana.

Thank you Nana, GG, Joan and Sheila

This is the youngest photo available of Sheila with her older sister Joan and their dad, John Norman Downes. Our grandfather left this world before we were born. Most of the family photos were lost in the Red River flood, Winnipeg 1950.

Sheila talked about her memories canoeing and hiking with their father. They'd pack a block of suet and essentials, made bannock over the campfire and if not mistaken ate meat caught in the wild. Mom said: "Dad didn't get a boy so we girls got to do the camping."

Joan and Sheila exchanged visits over the years to Winnipeg and Redfield South Dakota. When Joan visited, Sheila's husband John would be sent to the couch and the girls took over the bedroom bellowing with laughter. When asked what was so funny all night, mom replied: "Oh, the silly things we did when we were young."

They had hoped to travel together in their later years.

Joan passed away in 1987 and Sheila, one year ago today November 17th, 2024.

Thank you for the laughter Mom and Aunty Joan!

Surely you two are traveling together now.

Today we gratefully remember our family, our ancestry, and beloved mother.

What a gracious and beautiful photo of Sheila with her youngest daughter, Kathy. We remember the love and goodness of being together on the eve of your one year passing. We are ever thankful for the light of your being in this world and the world to come...that secret place where a light never fades.

Blessings and Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving Mom!

love always,

*

In 1949 John and Sheila married… bright and hopeful with a spirited humour to get through the difficult times. They are survived by “us” Michael, Elizabeth, and Kathy. They lost the twins at birth, a girl 2 weeks old passed away and a late miscarriage. (We never knew growing up.) Mom said she was "going to be with her babies." when she knew it was time to say goodbye to this world. Dad died at the young age of 64.

Both our parents were fun-loving and we grew up enjoying many summer adventures to Detroit Lakes with an entourage of 6 families and children vacationing together and especially visiting with our cousins in the states or they coming up to Winnipeg...our good childhood memories were a gift.

Dad love play, children and animals, goodness forbid he'd bring home another abandon animal for the kids to love and Mom to care for....and she did. No wonder he bought a farm in La Salle, Manitoba telling Mom after the fact. (Mom got a pool out of that) And then came Silver, a Shetland Welsh pony who was good for a mile ride and then a walk back. Dad would sit with the pigs "Homer, Jethro, and Arnold" on occasion finding his solitude and a confessional one would imagine. At least 2-3 dogs at a time frolicked around including a cat. Dad would remark that he never like cats very much except for Blacky.

Mom gardened, rows and rows of incredible vegetables ...best dinners ever right through the winter. Sheila had a greenhouse (very short-term) and a bit of a wild orchard too. Donald the duck lived there but was killed by a mink. Dad and Michael went out with a rifle. Shot out every window to kill the culprit. Dad was so upset for Kathy, his youngest losing her duck and that was it for the Mom’s greenhouse.

The short of the long is (and the stories are many), these two beautiful souls gave it there best, had their dreams and so much more secretly in their hearts. We are eternally grateful to share in their spirit and with the generations to follow. May you be submerged in an ocean of grace, Mom and Dad. Thank you.

"To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die."

-Thomas Campbell

Sheila loving her annual selfies with grandaughter Robyn...who always remarked "you are the most beautiful grandmother in the whole wide world."

Sheila with her daughter Kathy and great grand-daughter at Ruby's hockey games. Mom would never miss an opportunity to attend. Sheila loved Ruby's games so much and would talk about the her assists, goals and what an incredibly fast and able skater Ruby is. Imagine the cheers on the ethers this winter.

Nana Sheila and great grandson, Hudson

<3

four generations... a matrilineal lineage... Mom, Kathy, Robyn, and Ruby. Thank you and blessed be the most beautiful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in the whole world.

This was mom's 85th birthday celebration at Saanich Inlet BC. We were laughing so much that it wasn't possible for a clear photo. This one is special because we laugh everytime we see it and no one remembering why. Laughter came easy with us...

Mom never had a computer or anything to show all her family photos, birthday pictures and special occasions, She was offered a digital photo display or an ipad but just said it was difficult enough using the tv remote. So whenever a photo would go up on Facebook mom would ask how many likes and who commented,. She loved that! In away this obituary has become mom's website...Thank you mom for your infectious laughter

Thank you Mom. Think of you often. Fond memories. Love you. 😎💞🙏

<3

remembering you

remembering you

mom

almost 7 months since you took flight and every day your presence deepens within our hearts. Always with you.

Mother's Day every day with love

for spring Mom and your new place of being....

love always to Sheila, mom, grandma, nana, aunty Sheila, and friend...by many names always big hearted. Thinking of you on Valentines.

.

Mom Aug 4th, 2023

last visit to the West Coast.

lots of love to your beautiful and free spirit!

grace and blessings from yours

Remember Me

"To the living, I am gone, 
To the sorrowful, I will never return, 
To the angry, I was cheated, 
But to the happy, I am at peace, 
And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen. 
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard. 
So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea, 
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity, 
Remember me. Remember me in your heart: 
Your thoughts, and your memories, 
Of the times we loved, 
The times we cried, 
The times we fought, 
The times we laughed. 
For if you always think of me, I will never have gone."

- Margaret Mead

https://youtu.be/TXuKTHkJEZM?si=vrfXSOuOWUQf8Bmz

hope this works for whoever would like to listen...for mom with love

you and us...coming up to the New Year 2025. We enter together; you in our hearts and the wisdom to live our moments. Thanks for the 10,000 sparkles to take us through. Wish you were here!

you and us...coming up to the New Year 2025. We enter together; you in our hearts and the wisdom to live our moments. Thanks for the 10,000 sparkles to take us through. Wish you were here!

thinking of you on Christmas 1000 x x's

love always

In Loving Memory

At the Sterling House, my sister Elizabeth stood before Mom's obituary, a tribute to a life so beautifully lived. As she admired the words that captured Mom's essence, it was a moment of quiet reverence for the incredible woman who touched so many lives. Mom was a beacon of kindness, strength, and love, and her legacy continues to inspire us. The display was more than words; it was a celebration of her spirit, reminding everyone of the wonderful person she was and always will be in our hearts.

We were walking the shoreline between the Spit and Ford Cove. The tide was coming in pretty quick. I tied the dog leash to a tree trunk higher up on the enbankment. Karibu ran up and down the hillside excited for us to get moving.

Mom started climbing....me pushing her butt until she could grab the leash to start pulling herself up. We were laughing so hard that I had to bare mom’s weight because she couldn’t move for the laughter. With lot’s of tooting and a happy dog weaving between us, we crawled onto Ford Cove Trail our legs outstretched panting and laughing to tears.  Remembering our little cliff hanger always brought us back to laughter and the good times on Hornby Island.

In this photo mom is standing by a huge log at Whaling Station.

Walking, hiking and playing rummy.......one year we were at the 10,000 mark as the games never closed for the visit's duration. Until the next story...

in the garden, under the patio....

Is Mom walking away or walking to ... her journey continues.

Mom was hoping to celebrate her 95th Birthday today.

So ... HAPPY 95th Birthday MOM wherever you are.

Everyone have a bowl of your favourite icecream to celebate MOM.

for Dec. 8th mom's 95th birthday. Remembering stories of mom are like diamonds on the ocean with just a flicker of a moment disappearing to another flicker.... just can’t grasp at it at this time. I know she was remarkable because of all she had suffered and experienced through her life and the face she chose to put forward with being there/here enjoying the moment. That’s good for now. Let the sparkles be your candles, mom and the ocean the drink. Salut! Happy Birthday Sheila!

Kathy and mom watching the sunset...last visit to the west Coast Aug. '23

i asked my mother if she could give a sign after her passing what would it be. She said a cloud. At first i thought what cloud...how would one know. Then it occurred to me that the silver lining of every cloud would be the reminder of my mother. This photo was taken one year ago on Nov. 17.

under the willow, Sheila and son, Michael

love sheila's iconic wave with daughter kathy and son Michael

Our heartfelt condolences to you Eliabeth and your whole family. Thank you for sharing this space with us . Your mother was a remarkable woman.

All our love to you and your family.

Good Times on Hornby

We were so sorry to hear of Sheila's passing. We had the priviledge of meeting her several times, through Elizabeth, during our trips to Hornby Island. Our thoughts go out to Elizabeth, Kathy and Michael.

for mom

What a legend of a woman, I hope to have her sense of humour for as long as she did, and live a full life like she did. She will be missed ❤️

love

Kathy , Nicole and family , I am so very sorry for your loss.

I have always been so thankful for your mother Sheila completing the knitted blanket my mother started but was unable to complete because of her untimely death. Every time I pick up the blanket I not only think of my mom but yours as well . I will always cherish that blanket ❤️I remember your mom's beautiful smile 😊 I don't think that I ever saw her not smiling ! Thinking of you all at this difficult time.

Aunt Sheila was the best! Her quit wit and sence if humor was unreal!! her zest for life was endless and she absolutely remained active mentally and physically! She will always be my mentor for living life! When I asked her her what a secret to a long life was her response was " take care of yourself in your younger life" so much I want to say but that woman's smile said it all! live and miss her more than u can ever express!

Auntie Sheila was a kind and generous soul. We gathered every Christmas Eve until I moved west. She would bounce me on her knee. I remember her smiling, telling fun stories and her warmth ... just like the memorial photos selected. I give thanks for the life of Sheila Macdonald. She had many years in her life, but so much life in her years. Love to all with thoughts and prayers to Elizabeth, Michael, Kathy and your families.

Auntie Sheila was always so warm and loving, I will always remember her fondly. I adore the photos! Sending so much love to the whole family.

What a privilege it was to get to know Sheila here at Sterling House. Even if she was a Yankee fan we still loved her. We will miss her sweet smile. We extend our sincere condolences to each one of her family.

Dear Kathy and family every time we saw your mom she had the biggest most beautiful smile . She was also very kind . Our thoughts and prayers are with you all . Keep her memories close to your heart love Toni and Dale ♥️

What a beautiful tribute to Aunty Sheila. We were so blessed to have her!