HEATHER ANN SHARPE

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of our dear mama and wife, Heather Ann Sharpe on June 26th, 2025 at the age of 62.

She is survived by her loving husband, Doug; her three beautiful daughters, Tessa (Cale), Lindsay & Dylaney (Max); her sister Nada (Thor Hansell, Jocelyn, Gillian, Thomas); brothers, Craig (Allyson, Alanah, Caitlyn) and Trent (Cynthia, Lucy, Cooper, Aidan); her mother, Corinne; and many other nieces, nephews and friends. She joins her father, Ross Jones in Heaven.

Heather was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 8th, 1963 to Corinne and Ross Jones. Growing up in River Heights she played many sports at Sir William Osler School, River Heights C.C., and Grant Park High School. Her love of sport was varied, including track, volleyball, speed skating, basketball, swimming, figure skating, softball and fastball Even making it to the national level for some. These experiences were the foundation of her love of sport throughout her life. Later in life she enjoyed swimming at many of Winnipeg’s pools, joining exercise classes and playing tennis for over a decade at the Taylor Tennis Club on Saturday nights with her forever partner, Doug.

She always loved being in nature and was always up for an adventure. She loved gardening & all wildlife, especially watching the multitude of birds who visited her at her ‘Happy Place’ at the cottage in Ponemah, Manitoba, where she always made sure they were all well fed. She loved camping and hiking. Doug and Heather celebrated their honeymoon camping in the Grand Canyon, and they took their children on many camping trips throughout North America. In retirement, Doug and Heather took their adventurous spirits on the road with their camper trailer. Heather loved long camping trips with no end dates, specifically to the West Coast of Canada and her favourite place in the world, Long Beach in British Columbia. Heather and Doug would hike and explore the forests, beaches and small hippie towns while always meeting friends and family along the way.

Heather was a creative, spiritual soul. She loved crystals, the ocean, the mountains, and the smell of fresh rain. She loved Nature. She was a part of Soul Dancing, and loved her soul sisters, she loved taking art classes, dancing and any type of class that made her feel connected and alive. Heather was always self-exploring and reflective, always journaling and looking for ways to understand herself and others in a deeper way.

Heather was compassionate to everyone she met, a quality that helped her find her passion for teaching. She worked with children with disabilities while getting her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba. This experience shaped her and she knew she had found her calling in working with young minds and souls. She pivoted and graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Education from the same institution. Heather loved teaching fiercely, working mostly at Clifton School where she taught Nursery-Kindergarten for 12 years and then Reading Recovery. She cared deeply for every child she taught and embraced every family. She forged connections that extended beyond the classroom, proven by her invitations to birthday parties, debuts and celebrations of her current and former students and their families. Even when she retired, she continued to sub and work with little people to help them read and find their voices. This compassion, warmth and kindness spilled over into her home life as well. Heather’s home was a safe place for everyone. Her door was always open for people to call or stop by. She was the sounding board and supporter for many friends, family members and strangers, often making connections at the most unlikely of places (eg. the Costco food court). She instilled the importance of being kind, inclusive and understanding of others to her children.

Relationships were the cornerstone of Heather’s life, none more important than her relationship with her husband, Doug, spanning over 40 years. They met in high school and became friends, then later on began their romantic journey in their early twenties. They married in July of 1993 and a year later started their family with the birth of their first daughter Tessa, followed in 1996 with Lindsay and Dylaney in 2000 to complete their family. Heather often spoke of friendship as the bedrock of strong, everlasting love and it was clear that the friendship between her and Doug was ever-present. They would make each other laugh even in the toughest times.

Heather’s family network was so important to her, she made sure to have loving connections with both her family and Doug’s. She loved hosting both families for Christmases or any celebration. Nada, Patti and Heather all had children around the same time and they spent many hours at play dates, the Children’s Museum or the zoo when their kids were little, making sure all the cousins grew up together. She loved being an aunt and a great aunt and made time to go to many sports games or dance recitals, making people feel loved. Whenever you’d see Heather you’d be unable to leave without a hug. She loved hugs, she was the queen of hugs. She wanted to make sure everyone knew what a good, true hug was. Heather was graced with a built-in best friend, her sister Nada. They were never too far away from each other. From living together, to marrying best friends in the same year, to living only blocks away from one another, to having kids around the same time. They spoke almost daily and took care of each other. While very different it was clear they unfailingly had each other’s backs.

Being a mama was Heather’s greatest joy. Her girls were her everything. She tried to give them every opportunity in life and pushed them to try new things, like travelling, every activity imaginable; swimming, art classes, horseback riding, soccer, summer camps, choir and on and on. She wanted her girls to be independent, but was a soft place to return to in every situation, filled with love and snuggles and saying ridiculous things. She made sure her family knew how much she loved them.

She was a force to be reckoned with and the hole she has left is indescribable. We will miss her bountiful laugh, her enthusiastic hugs and everything about her. Love you forever.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 603 Wellington Crescent (First Unitarian Universalist Church). 

Heather’s family kindly requests that all of her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories, using the comment section on this page.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

1833 Portage Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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