Sheila’s family are heartbroken to announce her passing on Friday August 7th in her 94th year. Sheila fought with all her strength to recover from an emergency operation on July 28th, and a follow-up surgery on July 30th, but it proved too much and she died eight days later. The family was blessed with some lucid moments and sweet words with her in the interim.
Sheila Rosemary Phipps lived a long and full life. A native of Yorkshire, England, she grew up in the small town of Rossington where her parents, Muriel Power, née Eyre (also of Yorkshire), and her father, Thomas Power (an Irishman from County Cork, IRL) were both highly respected schoolteachers. Theirs was a small tight-knit family of four, including Sheila, her parents, and her younger sister, Anne. Anne and Sheila remained close friends throughout their lives and shared many happy memories of their early years. Anne was a constant presence in Sheila’s life, having lived with her in childhood and having lived close by throughout much of her later life.
Vocationally, Sheila first thought to try teaching as her parents had done. After some training, she decided it was not for her and went on to train as a librarian. Sheila had always been an avid reader, often devouring 2-3 books at the same time, so to say the least this was a good fit for her. Sheila’s sister, Anne, who was herself a teacher, had emigrated to Canada and Sheila followed in 1965 when she was appointed Science Librarian at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.
It was here, at the Science Library at UWO where Sheila met her future husband and partner of some 60 years, James Phipps. James was then a junior faculty member in Botany at UWO and a fellow Englander, hailing from Birmingham. It was a fast courtship, a meeting of the minds where the two found many common interests: a love of wine, gardens (Sheila’s father had been a successful amateur daffodil breeder), music, reading, history, painting, cats and shared values, including the deep wish to rear a family. They were married on the 7th of October, 1967 at St. Peter’s Basilica in London, ON.
Therewith, followed the children, William and Patrick born within just over a year of each other and the youngest, Georgiana (Georgie) born in 1974. Sheila did not return to work after having children but devoted herself to their care. Shortly after Georgie was born, the family made the move out to the countryside near Ailsa Craig, ON. There was plenty to do as the ancient farmhouse, all they could afford, was a wreck. Sheila did huge amounts of painting, raised geese, helped shovel vast amounts of old hay from the barn, and, with Georgie’s help, saved a young orchard with irrigation when James was away during the 1988 great drought (virtually no rain May to July 20th).
Many happy memories were shared with the Shawyer family of London ON (and later NFLD) as the children were growing up – with Jo Shawyer being a very special friend of Sheila’s. Throughout her life Sheila stayed connected with her close childhood friend, Elizabeth Wass, with whom she shared many happy times.
In 1986, tragedy struck, when the boys were being driven back from Medway High School by a teen-age driver along McGillivray Drive. There was a near head-on crash, Patrick was killed and William severely injured. This was a great hurdle to overcome that was faced bravely by Sheila. She will be buried alongside her beloved Pat.
Some of Sheila’s interests are highlighted as she served on the Sesquicentennial Committee of McGillivray Township (1842-1992) which was later absorbed into the Municipality of North Middlesex. The committee published in 1992 a 345 page hardbound book dealing with all aspects of early settlement and thus an invaluable historical record. As a family we are very proud of this.
Sheila loved travel, except by plane. In 1965 she crossed the Atlantic Ocean bravely in a small freighter, enduring a winter storm and arriving in Halifax to sunshine and mountains of snow. As a young woman she travelled to Germany with her sister Anne and her mother. She has been all over Scotland, when James was on sabbatical, to Italy, which she loved, twice, to Mexico on a fieldtrip with James, trying out her Spanish “Donde e Matehuala?” the Rocky Mountains, the wine country of the Okanagan, St. Louis, Washington, Gaspé, Prince Edward County, Quebec city and the north shore and much more. She was also a great hill and fell walker and walked James off his feet once in Scotland.
Sheila was many things, a beautiful and graceful lady, full of charm and sparkle. She had a wonderful smile that lit up her face and an impish twinkle in her bright blue eyes. She had a clear crisp bell-like voice which we will never forget. Her laugh was full and hearty, and she was truly warm and affectionate. She was intelligent and talented in many things. She pursued floral design for a time and did some writing for floral magazines in her fifties. She enjoyed writing and was a talented calligrapher. She also enjoyed sewing, knitting and embroidery.
Sheila became a grandmother in her later years to four wonderful boys whom she adored – Ethan, Graysen, Spencer, and Connor. She was thrilled to have grandchildren and was a sweet and loving Grandma.
Sheila lived out her life at their property at RR#3 Ailsa Craig from 1974 until now, amazingly reaching the grand age of ninety-three. She and James were constant friends and companions, and her loss will be felt sorely. The neighbours in McGillivray Township and the Mount Carmel Church community were a fantastic group of people and friends that always stepped up and supported Sheila, James, and family. Specially noted was the lovely surprise on her 90th birthday with ninety “candles” on the front lawn and a Happy Birthday sign set up by her neighbours. She thought this was wonderful. Also, the support around Patrick’s passing in 1986 was deeply appreciated.
Sheila will be missed by friends, neighbours and family, and especially her husband James, her remaining children Will and Georgie (Battersby) and her husband Peter, her loving and devoted sister Anne, whom she spoke to every day on the phone, and her grandchildren Ethan, Graysen, Spencer and Connor. She will be remembered in England by her cousin, Mark Waller, and her sister’s-in-law, Elva Phipps and Barbara Tromans and nieces Holly and Shelley and her dear friend Elizabeth.
May she rest peacefully now beside her son Patrick. She will be loved and missed always, XO.
The family is grateful to the staff at the three hospitals Sheila attended in her last days, South Huron Hospital in Exeter, the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich, and London Health Sciences Centre – University Hospital.
Visitation will be held at Haskett Funeral Home, 223 Main Street, LUCAN on Monday, August 17th from 6 – 8 PM.
Sheila’s Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Mount Carmel on Tuesday, August 18th at 2:30 PM. Interment Mount Carmel Cemetery.
