The world lost a beautiful, caring person on March 11, 2016. Sheila Gwendoline Riley (Nee Harding) passed away peacefully at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital with her family by her side.
Sheila was born in Cudworth, Yorkshire, England on March 21, 1928, daughter of Mary Harding and Herbert Male. She was a witness to, and survivor of the Second World War bombings (The Blitzkrieg) on England. She shared stories of her experiences with her children and grandchildren. They all heard of the flares that lit up the night sky, or the bomb shockwave that threw her across the cellar. Her natural empathy for people led her to become a student of nursing at 17. She used her gifts of compassion and caring to help her patients.
She met and married Tom Riley at the age of 19. Shorty thereafter they were blessed with two children Dawn and Louis, born in Bradford, England.
In 1952 they decided to immigrate to Canada in search of a new adventure, eventually settling in Thunder Bay.
Shelia dedicated her life to her children and wore many hats, but MOTHER and wife were her focus working hard to make a house a home. She adored children, and had plans in her youth to have seven. After a number of years she was finally blessed with two more children. Kim and Mark were born in Fort William, Ontario, Canada, eh! They were little brats, but she loved them, as she did all her children, unconditionally.
In 1983, Sheila, daughter Dawn and granddaughter Teri-Lynn relocated to Calgary, Alberta. Son Mark followed them out shortly thereafter. In Calgary she worked as a caregiver for the elderly, that again echoed her empathy for people.
After making a life in Calgary for 27 years Shelia returned to Thunder Bay along with her daughter and granddaughter, to retire and live out her remaining years with all of her family. As a grandma and great grandma, she was in her element, quite often behaving more like the grandchild she was playing with then the grandmother she was. Not many parents can say they had to scold grandma for being immature. But she loved every minute of it, including the scolding.
Sheila is predeceased by her mother, Mary Harding (1970), Husband, Tom Riley (1992) and eldest son, Louis Riley (2008). She was devastated with the loss of Louis, remarking that “Children are supposed to outlive their parents!”
She is survived by Daughters Dawn Leishman, Kim Riley (D. Kim Dudley), Son Mark Riley (Rochelle) and daughter-in-law Connie Riley, numerous grandchildren: Teri-Lynn, Lee, Neil, Lauren, Kristofer, Lucas, Brooke and Kaylan and great-grandchildren Melanie, Aliyah, Camden, Eric, and Natalie, loving sister Daisy Southwell (Burt) and numerous nieces and nephews in England. Her furry companions, Maxx the dog, Seymore and Chloe the cats, will miss her!
Matching Sheila’s love of family was her wonderful sense of humour, which helped her through many difficult times. She passed this gift on to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Her obituary was written with this in mind. Rest in Peace, we will all be together again in another life!
Funeral services will be held at Jenkens Funeral Home on Friday, March 18 at 11am. Visitation for family and friends will be held 1 hour prior to the service at 10 am. Interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation or The Canadian Lung Association.