Sheila Roberts Symons

      When Mrs. Sheila Symons walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Sheila was and how she impacted those around her. Sheila was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Sheila wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Sheila was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

       Sheila was the daughter of William and Kate Roberts and was raised in Manola, Alberta. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Sheila might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Sheila was always in pursuit of life's endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

      Sheila was raised with five siblings. She had one older brother, Ross, 2 older sisters, Wilma and Isabelle, and 2 younger brothers, Garth and Millen. Sheila was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Sheila was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Sheila well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

      As a young girl, Sheila was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Sheila was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Sheila took part in softball, tennis and skating. In her spare time she liked to sing, read, drama and recite poetry. Sheila had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

      During her high school years, Sheila responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Bloor Street Collegiate in 1950. Sheila was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Sheila absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Sheila, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Sheila a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything.

      With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Sheila was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Sheila was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Robin Wallace, Rosemary Whitaker, Maye Allen and Lily Gibson. Later in life, she became friends with Pat, Pauline, Tom, Joanne, Joan, Howard, Doris, Joanne, Mel, Lily, Janice, the late Margaret, the late Edelgard, the late Rose, and many more.

      On June 30, 1955 Sheila married Frank A. Symons at Wycliffe College Chapel at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. Sheila's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Frank's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Sheila was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

      Sheila was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Sheila, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Symons home. Sheila's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Sheila was blessed with six children: Tim, Kathy, Wendy, Julie, Stephen, and the late John. They were also blessed with fourteen grandchildren, Joshua, Elizabeth, Sarah, Tim, Melissa, Jesse, Jeremy, Brittany, Brianne, Benjamin, Zacharie, Jaydon and Rachael.

      Sheila was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life's possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was as a Registered Nurse and mother. Sheila was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Sheila had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Sheila's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

      Because Sheila loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were singing, reading, sewing and baking. Sheila had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Sheila's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

      Sheila derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Sheila was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were curling, hockey and figure skating.

      Throughout her life, Sheila was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Sheila seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Sheila usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. In college, Sheila joined the Nurses Christian Fellowship. Throughout his later years, Sheila was an active member of the church and Brownies.

      Sheila's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Sheila took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included a trip to Wales.

      Sheila was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Rusty, a daschund, was a best friend for 14 years. Her family was rounded out by her 2 other dogs, Randy and Jeff, and 1 cat, Moggie.

      Sheila Symons passed away on March 12, 2009 at home, in Whitby, Ontario. She died sudenly of a heart attack. She is survived by her children Tim and Elsie, Kathy and Keevin, Wendy, Julie and Bob, and Stephen, her grandchildren Joshua, Elizabeth, Sarah, Tim, Melissa, Jesse, Jeremy, Jeffrey, Brittany, Brianne, Benjamin, Zacharie, Jaydon and Rachael. Services were held on Friday, March 20, 2009 at the Oshawa Funeral Home Chapel. Sheila was laid to rest in Mount Lawn Memorial Gardens, Whitby, Ontario.

      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Sheila. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Sheila Symons for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Sheila was always more than willing to share life's experiences with her loved ones.