Sheila Joyce was born on Monday, August 17, 1942, in Kentville, Nova Scotia to Charles Alvin and Joyce Violet (Stark) Bishop. She was the eldest of three girls: Sheila, Sharon, and Debbie.  As youngsters, Sheila and Sharon enjoyed visiting their Grandmother Stark, in the coastal community of Culloden, N.S. While there the two girls often liked to play paper dolls, whereby they spent countless hours cutting out the models, and clothes pictures from their Grandma’s Eaton’s catalogues. Sheila was always very observant. Throughout their adolescent years, her younger sister, Sharon, often borrowed Sheila’s clothing (without her permission of course), but she was always caught! It is always difficult to pull a quick one on an older sibling!

Sheila and her family spent most her youth in the area of Kentville, Nova Scotia, and following high school and a bit of time spent at Hostess Chips she married into the Military with her first husband. Together, they welcomed sons Gary (1965 in Nova Scotia), Greg (1967 in Ontario), and Kim (1969 in Quebec). The family left Nova Scotia again in 1977 and spent a couple more years moving around Ontario, all the while Sheila was raising her young family. In addition to caring for her children, she led a simple life, with few needs.

While in Camp Borden in 1980, Sheila and her husband separated, whereby she soon called Walkerton home. It was here that she met a man by the name of Donald “Carl” Ray through a newspaper ad and the two soon began dating. They were married on Saturday, April 30, 1983, on Carl’s farm, east of Paisley on Bruce Rd. 11. Together, they raised pigs and beef cattle, leading a simple life. On occasion, the two enjoyed a day away from the farm, where they often went boating down local rivers in Carl’s homemade rowboat which was named “Knotty.” On one such Sunday afternoon, the boat capsized, and the couple was forced to make their way to shore to dry out. They disrobed and were drying in the sun when the property owner came upon them naked. Needless to say, when they arrived at their pickup location, where they were met by Gary and Kim, they were both quite blushed and never returned to that river again. Instead, they just stuck to Sunday afternoon car drives!

As many of you may know Sheila never had a driver’s licence. However, on one occasion she decided to try it out and was subsequently pulled over by the town cops for speeding outside of Chesley. Her driving experience as she knew it was officially over! Back at home, Sheila loved to pass the time writing letters and preparing cards for family and friends. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for Sheila to spend a couple of hundred of dollars on stamps – a month! Yes, you read that right. When not communicating in writing, she was often talking on the phone. She loved the phone, and one might even say it kept her company and connected to the outside world. Physical distance often separated her from family; however, the telephone allowed her to stay in touch with everyone in her life. It was not uncommon for Sheila to make a few dozen calls a day, spending multiple hours on the telephone, and often keeping everyone up to date with the most recent happenings in not only her life but that of family and friends too. She also appreciated butterflies, stickers, and who could forget her favourite dish, liver, and onions. Although, a quiet individual who often liked to be on her own, Sheila always loved a good game of bingo! In recent years, Sheila always looked forward to the weekly bingo games, whether in Elgin Abbey or Grey Gables. And I am told she was quite good, as it wasn’t uncommon for her to win several times.

After selling the farm, Carl and Sheila called Durham home remaining there until Carl died in 2005. In the years following, Sheila enjoyed her simple life, with the support of family and friends. In 2020, Sheila’s health declined further, and she required the additional support of long-term care. She originally called Elgin Abbey home, before moving to Grey Gables in the past year where she enjoyed spending time with her fellow residents and staff passing out cards and letters to them. In recent weeks her health declined further, and Sheila passed away peacefully with Son Greg by her side at Grey Gables, Markdale, on Friday, February 21, 2025, in her 83^rd year.

Loving mother of Gary (Racheal) Vance of River Philip, Nova Scotia, Greg Thompson (Raihan Shirazi) of Toronto, and Kim Thompson of Kingston. Cherished grandmother of Laura, Adam, Brittany, Natalie, Rebecca, and Victoria, and great-grandmother of Tyson, Jackson, and Bentley. Sheila will be dearly missed by her sisters, Sharon Cleveland of Kentville, Nova Scotia, and Debbie (John) Garrison of Port Williams, Nova Scotia. She was predeceased by her husband Carl (2005), brother-in-law Mike Cleveland, and her parents, Charles and Joyce (Stark) Bishop.

Private family services will be held with spring interment to follow in Starkvale Cemetery, Paisley.

Memorial donations to Diabetes Canada would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.