Sheila Renee Banks

On October 3, 2026, at 12:12 a.m., Sheila Banks’ earthly journey came to an end. She was surrounded by the love and presence of those she cherished and those that cherished her, including her five children, her parents, her siblings and her friends. Her 63 years were well lived with family, laughter, generosity, meaningful relationships, and countless expressions of love that have imprinted deeply on all of her who were blessed to be a part of her life.

On 10/16/1962, Sheila was born to Vernon and Barbara Washington in Washington D.C. She was the second born of their four children. The family eventually followed Vernon’s brother, Kenney, and packed into a 1957 Buick, drove cross-country and relocated to the west coast in the late 1960s to Santa Monica, California. She and her siblings thrived in an apartment on 19th Street and Pico Boulevard, across the street from (what was then) Santa Monica City College. The City College offered after school and summer programs for all ages. Sheila and two of her siblings were recruited by the track coach for the regional track league, where Sheila excelled at sprints, the long and the high jump. She also developed an interest in the performing arts and, like her mother, loved to sing on stage. She continued with track through middle school and joined the drama club and continued performing throughout her high school years.

The family eventually left Santa Monica to settle into rural Littlerock, CA into a single family home. In just a year or so, the family would move again, to Palmdale, CA to a new home purchased via a Vietnam Era veterans family housing program. Palmdale was vast, hot and dusty, with few amenities. The most important of which, was the Palmdale Library, which was quiet and luxuriously air conditioned. Sheila loved to read and taught her younger brother and younger sister to read as well.

In 1980, at just 17 years of age, Sheila graduated from high school and embarked upon a new chapter of independence and service by joining the United States Navy. Stationed at the Naval Air Station Miramar, she worked as a Cryptologic technician. Her job included working with classified records of service members, and thus, began a journey that would bring her into the life of Tommy C. Banks, the man she would later marry. The couple was affectionately known as Ms.Piggy and Kermit the frog. On February 26, 1994, Tommy and Sheila were united in marriage, beginning an extraordinary life together.

Motherhood brought some of Sheila's most treasured experiences. In June of 1982, she welcomed her first child, beginning a beautiful journey that would eventually bless her with four more children. Her family continued to grow with the arrival of her second child in April of 1985, her third in December of 1990, her fourth in October of 1992, and her fifth in April of 1997.

Sheila made San Diego her home for approximately three decades, devoting herself to family, while continuing to pursue her own growth and accomplishments. In 1988, she graduated from Sawyer Business College and subsequently worked for several years as a data processor with the Recycler Classifieds. Sheila and Tommy shared their marriage and family life, creating experiences and memories that remain woven into the lives of their children.

In 2016, Sheila carried her caring nature across the country to Virginia, where she served others as a compassionate caregiver. In 2023, she returned to San Diego, continuing this meaningful service. The following year, she returned to Palmdale to care for her parents, expressing through her actions, the devotion to family that had remained an enduring part of her life.

Sheila was a free spirit, a joyous soul, a hardworking woman, and a truly unforgettable presence. She carried a personality entirely her own, bringing warmth, humor, and vitality wherever life took her. Her home was a gathering place, its doors were always open to family and friends. She understood the beauty of sharing what she had, whether through a thoughtful gift, a welcoming home, a caring gesture, or simply the joy of being together.

Sheila enjoyed reading, dancing, building miniature houses, and buying gifts for others.

Above all, Sheila's life speaks through the people she loved. As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, godmother, caregiver, and friend, she contributed something uniquely her own to every relationship. Her children and grandchildren carry the living continuation of her story, each expressing some of the love, wisdom, and strength that passed through her life into theirs.

Sheila is lovingly celebrated by her parents, Vernon and Barbara Washington; her siblings, Vernon, Russ, and Sherri Washington; her godsister, Adella Perkins; her five children, Dominique Washington, Derrick Banks, Shenise Banks, Terrell Banks, Kyra Banks; her goddaughter, Debben Perkins; and her eight grandchildren, Khalil Washington, Javon Banks, Janiyah Banks, Sarai Banks, Kasir Banks, Stella Washington, Naiel Banks, and Chris Jr. Moody.

The beauty of Sheila's life continues through every heart she touched. Her laughter remains in the stories shared, her generosity in the kindness extended to others, and her love in the family she nurtured. The relationships she cultivated continue to grow, carrying forward the gifts of her earthly journey.

Sheila's life is a reminder that love is more than something we give. It is something we are, something we share, and something that continues to move through generations.

Her earthly journey is complete; however, her love and legacy continue to live on