Michael James Sheehan

Loving husband of Linda (nee McQuain) Sheehan and devoted father of Colleen (Greg) Hannah, Kathy (Eddy) Furlong, Erin Sheehan, Terry (Lisa Bradford) Sheehan and Michaela (Matt Woods) Sheehan. Loving Grandfather to Travis (Erin Robinson) Hannah, Shauna (Greg) Carpinelli, Sean (Shaena) Furlong, Jeremy Hannah, Scott (Kaitlyn) Furlong, Shannon and TK Hannah, Riley Bradford, Brenna and Andrea Gorman, Kate Sheehan, Rosalie, Mitchell and Molly Sheehan-Woods. Great Grandfather of 11.

Michael was predeceased by his parents Dan and Jessimae Sheehan and by his siblings Joseph, Danny, and Terry Sheehan, Dennis (Heather) Sheehan, Patricia Barrow, Elizabeth (late Norm) Fiset, Jessimae Sheehan and Gwen (late Frank) Godfrey.

Michael was the very heart of his immediate and extended family who looked to him for guidance and were comforted by his strength and faith throughout their lives. Michael had a great sense of humour and was an outdoor enthusiast who loved camping, fishing and hunting. He enjoyed golfing and playing games with his children and grandchildren. Michael was an avid curler and together with his wife Linda, organized and ran the Boxing Day Fun Family Curling Bonspiel for many years. His passion for gardening was evident in a vegetable garden that was the envy of many.

Michael had a long and distinguished career in education. He served as a Teacher, Principal and Superintendent of Education with the Sault Ste. Marie Public School Board. He also served for many years as a trustee and Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Board.

Michael was a faith-filled man who gave witness to his faith as a reader, usher and served on several committees at St. Jerome’s Parish. He was very involved with the local Knights of Columbus, and the Fourth Degree. His passion for serving others inspired him to initiate a number of local and provincial projects that would provide others with the supports they needed to live fruitful lives. He worked with local business leaders to create affordable housing, initiating the Columbus Club Housing Corporation.

He was also involved provincially with the Knights of Columbus and is a Past State Deputy for Ontario and past Vice Supreme Master for Ontario and Manitoba. He founded the Ontario Catholic Youth Leadership Camp.

Michael’s dedication to his faith and community was recognized by Pope Benedict. Michael was the recipient of the Papal Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great for “recognition of his personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through his unusual labors, his support of the Holy See, and his excellent examples set forth in his community and in his country”.

Michael’s life of service to others, and his commitment to making the world a better place was inspired by his deep faith in God.

Family and friends are invited to visit at the Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522) on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 between 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Funeral Mass to take place at St. Jerome's Catholic Church on Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 1:00 pm (all Covid-19 restrictions apply). Family and friends are invited to view the service online starting at 1:00pm on Thursday and it can be viewed anytime up to 90 days following the service. Please go to www.funeraweb.tv and select Michael's name to view the service. Memorial contributions to ARCH would be greatly appreciated. The family would like to thank the doctors, and nurses for their excellent medical care and for the compassionate care given by ARCH staff, and our Personal Service Worker Marsha.

Funeral Mass Tributes - Terry Sheehan and Kathy Furlong

Terry Sheehan:

Good afternoon,

Thank you, Father Alex, and all involved in making this mass so very special for my father and family. Thank you to those that are here today at St. Jerome’s and those connecting virtually. Since Covid19 began so many of us have been connecting with loved ones this way. And it didn’t escape me that our Lord has been connecting with many of us virtually wherever we are…including my dad!

I would like to acknowledge the presence of the Ontario State Deputy for the Knights of Columbus Marcel Lemmen. A position my father held proudly. And thanks to all other Brothers and Sisters from the Knights of Columbus and Daughters of Isabell for being part of his life.

My father used the Knights as a vessel to navigate success for so many great things for his community, province, and country. In Sault Ste. Marie through the Columbus Club he help create much needed affordable housing for so many. He could also proudly boast having made the most pasta and meatballs of any non-Italian in the Sault through the Knights Pasta dinners that supported so many worthwhile local charities and causes.

My father was a stalwart for Catholic Education serving as a trustee, VC and Chair of the separate school board. He successfully over saw the beginning of the provincially mandated amalgamation of various school boards into what is now called the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board. I was proud to follow in his footsteps as trustee for that new board…he left big shoes for me to fill both figurately and literally as I had to borrow a pair of his dress shoes for my first meeting.

Michael was also a teacher, VP, Principal at Alexander Henry, Lakeway, Korah and Superintend of Education for the Public-School board. His influence and love for his students, their families and his staff were enormous. He believed in the potential of people, that all people deserved opportunities and spent his time creating various avenues for student success. My family and I are so very touched by the many people that have reached out to us to tell us what a profound difference my dad has made on their lives.

And the apples did not fall far from the tree. My sister Colleen is Principal at St. Mary’s Highschool, Kathy is a retired superintend for the London School Board, Erin is a social worker for the Peteroughboug school board and Michaela is a Vice Principal at Holy Family. And many grandchildren and other relatives are in education or seeking such in their studies.

At some point during his career someone nicknamed him the Silver Fox which was carried forward to whatever school he went to… A combination of his hair colour and his very clever problem-solving.

His successes in life can be attributed to the input and support of his very own fox, his wife Linda. Thank you mom none of his success would be possible without you.

My family and I would like to thank all of you for celebrating, with us today. He loves you all so very much.

In conclusion…

When I was a young boy, I once asked my father if he had any wish in the world would he wish for the ability to live forever? He responded to me no because he would miss all his family and friends to much as they would all be gone and in heaven while he continued to live on Earth.

Well Dad you are now united with your beloved Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, friends, and other family members.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Michael Sheehan go brah!

Kathy Furlong:

I’m here to talk about my dad’s faith life because all of us in our family have a role and I’m sort of the resident church lady. My dad was a great man who had a great faith. His vocation really was prayerfully serving others. He was involved, as you have heard, in so many organizations, in making this world a better place for everyone. And yet with all of his involvement, sometimes I don’t know how he did it, he got up every morning at 6 o’clock in the morning and started his day praying the bible. Then he went to work, rushed home at 6 and my mom had dinner on the table, we all had family dinner, absolutely you had to be at dinner, and then he was off to another meeting of one thing or another. Yet family was always first and foremost. Family was never second place. All of us in our family have lived to honour that. I, unlike my father, I’m more like my mother. Both of us need our sleep, but we do manage to get a lot done, don’t we mom?

A friend of mine who teaches Church history at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, after seeing dad’s obituary, sent me a message. In that message he said that as the family grieves during the Christmas season this was why “the Word was made flesh”. As one Father of the Church said, “God became human so that humans could become divine.” And I thought that that described, so perfectly, dad’s life.

Throughout dad’s life he sought the holy, to be united with the divine. And though he experienced much tragedy in his life, losing his oldest brother, a baby brother and his mother at a very young age, and then grieving the loss of siblings, his father and mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, yet he never lost his faith. He was a man of great resiliency. Through his faith, he never lost hope or joy. He had such a great sense of humour and love of life!

Growing up he would say to us, “tell the truth and shame the devil”. I find myself repeating that expression, sometimes even at work! He would always say at the end of a conversation, “keep the faith” and that wasn’t a dismissive comment. He would listen, he was a great listener, to what you were telling him, he would ask questions so he would fully understand the situation, and then he would give the most excellent, bang on advice. When I would call and tell him what was going on, and he would come up with such great insight and advice, I would hang up and say to my husband Ed, “dad just said”. I even started writing it down! And he would end that conversation with “keep the faith”.

On dad’s prayer card, as Fr. Alex mentioned earlier, his favorite bible passage was from the prophet Micah. Yahweh asks of you only this, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God. That is how dad lived in every aspect of his life. As a principal, every award and graduation speech ended with that passage, as he called everyone to live their life the way God had asked. He has passed that on to us, his children, and in every aspect of our lives, professionally and personally, we have and continue to do our best to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God. It is now up to us to pass that on to our children and to all those who we encounter in our lives.

And as we say, “See you, Michael “Mickey” Sheehan when we meet in heaven”, we will continue your legacy and always keep the faith. Following Irish tradition, we will conclude our tribute with the playing of Oh Danny Boy.

Danny Boy version from YouTube by Gentry Covers.

Michael's Life Journey

Michael was born on June 27, 1929 in Blind River Ontario. He was the 5th of 9 children born to Daniel Joseph Sheehan (Born 1891) and Jessimae (Morrissette) Carrière (Born 1894). The birth order of the 9 children are Patricia (Pat, Born 1916), Danny (Born 1920), Gwendylyn (Gwen, Born 1925), Elizabeth (Betty, Born 1926), JessieMae (Mae, Born 1927), Michael (known to family as Mickey), Terry (Born 1932), Dennis (Born 1936). Joseph did not survive infancy.

Michael's mother was adopted. Jessimae was born in Bay City Michigan and when her mother passed away she was given to Margaret (Lawless) and Arthur (Archie) Carrière. Jessimae's birth name was Morrissette. Jessimae's adopted mother Margaret (Maggie) was born on February 1,1871 in Essexville, Michigan, USA. She became a Naturalized Canadian on May 6, 1942.

Maggie lived with the Sheehans in their home on 59 Michigan Ave. in Blind River until she passed away. A story that Mickey used to tell was about one evening where someone ate an extra hamburger. There was not a lot of extra food for the large family so this was a big deal. No one owned up to it. Mickey thought it may have been his gramma. Whoever was the culprit brought that secret to their grave. Now that the Sheehans are all reunited in heaven perhaps that mystery has been solved!

There was a lot of music in the Sheehan household. Jessimae sang and played piano. Pat, Mickey and Terry all played piano. Terry excelled at piano and athletics, particularly baseball and hockey.

Mike was an altar boy for St. Joseph parish and sang in the choir. He was also athletic and played baseball and hockey. By today's standards Mike would have been identified as gifted. He attended elementary school in Blind River and skipped a grade. When the school asked his mother to have Mike skip another grade, which would put him in the same grade as his older sister Mae, his mother refused. She was concerned about how that would impact the relationship between Mike and Mae.

Mike faced a lot of tragedy in his early life. When Mike was 9 his brother Dan drowned. His mother passed away from cancer when Mike was 16. Terry died in a car accident when Mike was 27.

Mike got into a confrontation with his teacher in grade 10 and dropped out of school. He went to work for JJ McFadden Lumber Company in Blind River from April 1945 to September 1948. For the first year Mike worked in the sawmill and the river drive. The next 2 years he was a camp clerk. In 1948 he met Father Brown, a Basilian priest, on the main street in Blind River. Fr. Brown asked Mike what he was doing. When Mike told him that he had quit school and was working in the lumber camp, Father Brown asked him if he would be interested in attending St. Michael's All Boys Catholic School in Toronto. Mike said yes, went to Toronto and attended St. Michael's College from September 1948 to June 1951, completing grades 11, 12 and 13. He had to work in the kitchen to pay for his schooling. During those summer months Mike worked in Construction, for the Dept. of Lands and Forest and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Mike played on the St. Michael's hockey team. When Mike decided to quit school and go back home, he gave the letter he had written to quit school to the priests. Father Brown took the letter and asked Mike to wait until the next day before deciding to leave. In that time Mike changed his mind. He stayed at school and graduated from St. Michael's. Mike always spoke fondly of his time at St. Michael's.

From August 1951 to December 1951 Mike was a student for Chartered Accountancy. From December 1951 to October 1952 he was an assistant Office Manager for Willys Overland of Canada where he interviewed potential employees; was in charge of personnel in the filing department; entertained out-of-town clients; and assisted the Accountant Manager. In October 1952 Kaiser-Willys of Canada took over the operation of Willys Overland and transferred the company to Windsor. Mike moved to Windsor where he worked for Kaiser-Willys of Canada Ltd. He was the Understudy for the Accountant Manager. He was placed on various training programs within the department.

In September 1954 Mike entered St. Peter's Seminary in London Ontario. While in the seminary he completed a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Philosophy at Western University in 1957. During the first summer Mike worked for Bawden Ind. in Toronto where he was in charge of taking inventory. The next 2 summers he worked in the uranium mines in Elliot Lake. While at St. Peter's Mike continued to play hockey and would go with the other priests to St. Peter's Cathedral to sing in the choir. After 3 years in the seminary, Mike met with one of the priests who talked to him about whether he was sure that his vocation was to the priesthood. Michael went home to Blind River.

Mike stayed in Blind River and worked for the Menard Funeral Home from September 1957 to May 1958, transporting bodies to the funeral home. It was during this time that Mike met Linda, who arrived in Blind River from Huntsville as a Bell Canada operator. They socialized with the same group of friends. Mike was older than most of the friends and Linda was one of the youngest. On their first date, Mike picked up Linda with the hearse from the funeral home and had a body in the back! Since that did not deter Linda, they were married on December 29,1958 at St. Mary's Parish in Huntsville, Ontario.

Phil Laderoute, a childhood friend of Mike's, was the best man and Lanny McQuain, Linda's brother, was a groomsman. The maid of honour had to be Catholic as that was the rule in the Catholic Church at the time, so the maid of honour was Linda's only Catholic friend, Betty Hewitt. Linda's sister-in-law, June McQuain, was the bridesmaid.

Mike's first teaching assignment was at St. Patrick's High School in Thunder Bay teaching English and Latin. Mike taught there for one year from September 1958 - June 1959. After their marriage, Mike and Linda moved to Thunder Bay.

They then moved to Sturgeon Falls where Mike taught English, Latin and was a Guidance Counsellor at Sturgeon Falls High School (1959 - 1962). They welcomed first Colleen (1960), then Kathy (1962). After Kathy was born they moved to Sault Ste. Marie where Mike taught English and was a Guidance Counsellor at Sir James Dunn. They lived in an apartment on Breton Road where they welcomed Erin (1963) into the family. In 1965 they bought the house on 15 Arizona Ave. and welcomed first Terry (1969), and then Michaela (1978) to the family.

Mike and Linda's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have many happy memories from their time at 15 Arizona Ave.

Mike continued his education during the summer months in Toronto, achieving his teaching certificate for high school in English, history and geography, a guidance specialist, and principal's and supervisory officer qualifications. During the summer months, Mike also taught the guidance qualification course for educators in Ontario. In fact the Department of Education for the Province of Ontario sent a letter to Mike asking him to continue teaching the guidance course as he was an excellent instructor. While Mike was taking summer courses, Linda and the oldest 3 girls would spend those weeks in Huntsville at Linda's parents' home. Once the courses were completed, Mike and Linda continued to vacation in the Huntsville area, camping with Linda's parents and her two brothers and their families.

Camping was something that Mike continued to enjoy throughout his life. The family continued camping with a tent trailer and the family camped to the east coast one summer, then to the west coast the next summer. Mike would often go tent camping with Terry in the wilderness around Blind River. When Michaela was born, camping trips ended and Michaela spent many vacations with her parents at hotels.

Mike became a Guidance Counsellor at Sir James Dunn, then a Vice Principal at Alexander Henry, then Principal at Alexander Henry, Lakeway Collegiate, and Korah Collegiate. Mike was a great supporter of the sport of hockey and coached high school hockey teams. He instituted the Soo Hockey League. Mike supported curling and coached curling teams at the schools he was assigned.

Mike was excellent at cleaning up schools and motivating staff and students to achieve excellence in all they did. Mike would use athletics to turn the school culture around. He would attend games to show his support of the students. During his time at Lakeway, the school went from having a very poor reputation to one of the top schools in Northern Ontario for football, basketball and hockey. After moving to Korah Collegiate as Principal, he then moved into the role of Superintendent of Education for the Sault Area Public School Board.

Mike was also very supportive and involved in Catholic education and served as a trustee, vice chair and chair of the Sault Separate School Board. He stepped away from the position of trustee once full funding came into effect. Upon his retirement, Mike ran again for trustee and served the Sault Separate School Board as a trustee, vice chair, and chair. Upon his second "retirement" as a trustee from the board, his son Terry, following in his father's footsteps, ran and was elected as trustee.

Mike was very involved in his community. He was an active member of St. Jerome's parish where he served as a lecturer, usher, eucharistic minister, hospitality committee, baptismal committee and parish council. He was a member of the Board of Directors for NET Ministries of Canada. He initiated the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Council and regularly took the night prayer shift until he was 91. He was also active with the Knights of Columbus, was Grand Knight and became an Honourary Life Member of the Knights of Columbus. In the last 2 years of Mike's educational career Mike ran for the State Board for the Knights of Columbus and won the election. He became State Secretary in 1988, moving to a new position on the State Board every 2 years, finally serving as State Deputy and then Past State Deputy. He became Vice Supreme Master for the Fourth Degree for Ontario and Manitoba, and was the editor of the Knights of Columbus provincial newspaper. Mike and Linda met many good friends through the Soo Knights of Columbus and through the State Board and Fourth Degree. They had an opportunity to do a lot of traveling with Michaela.

Mike was an avid gardener. He had a very large vegetable garden that he spent hours in every spring, summer and fall. This was his stress relief and the garden became the envy of many. He was very proud of his yard and enjoyed planting flowers at the front of the house. People from Pathways Retirement Home would stop when walking by to enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Mike was known for his excellent sense of humour, outstanding storytelling, and was an outstanding orator. After giving a speech at a function, invariably an audience member would ask for a copy of his speech.

Mike and Linda were avid curlers. Both played in leagues and spent many winter weekends playing in bonspiels. Often they would be in charge of the entertainment for the bonspiel, either by design or spontaneously entertaining others. Mike was on the Board of Directors for the Tarentorous Curling Club.

Mike and Linda ran the Soo Family Fun Bonspiel every Boxing Day for over 12 years. Their twin grandchildren, Shannon and TK who were born on Boxing Day, spent most of their birthdays at the Soo Curling Club.

In Mike's retirement, he took up golf and continued to curl. Not the most patient golfer, he still enjoyed golfing with Linda, his sons-in law, daughters, and friends.

Mike's passion for education, and especially for Catholic Education, was passed on to his children. All have been involved in education - Colleen as Principal, Kathy as Superintendent of Education, Erin as Safe Schools Social Worker, Terry as an employment and training consultant with the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities, and Michaela as Principal and Vice Principal. Colleen, Kathy, Erin and Michaela are all members of Catholic school boards. Terry followed in Mike's political footsteps and became a trustee for the Catholic School Board, a city counsellor and a Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie.

Excerpts - Announcement - Knights of Columbus State Deputy

Michael Sheehan, in a ceremony in Toronto, announced that he intends to place particular emphasis on the Family and the Gospel of Life in his term of office. Mr. Sheehan brings not only enormous experience, but also enthusiasm and dedication to his new position.

Having worked with young people in his professional career, Mr. Sheehan has carried his interest into the community and has coached hockey and curling as well as supervising youth organizations. One of his major involvements has been his work with the formation of the Knights of Columbus Catholic Youth Leadership Camp which has been a great success every summer since its inception in 1990.

He has been active on the Knights of Columbus State Board since 1988 and is Past Grand Knight of Council 932, Sault Ste. Marie. His is also a former Council Bulletin Editor, a member of the Fourth Degree, and is the current Chairman of a Knights of Columbus non profit housing corporation. He is also a member of the Diocesan Vocational Committee and in his parish has served as Parish Council Chair, Lector and Baptismal Committee Member. In his years as a teacher he was active with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation and has served on local, district and provincial committees. He is currently Vice Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Board. As an active member of the community and the Church he hosted a weekly television program sponsored by Cath-Com in the Sault Ste. Marie area. With an extremely busy schedule, Mike still finds time to serve on several committees including the Catholic Organization of Life and Family issues, jointly sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus.

Mr. Sheehan said in an interview that he witnessed many changes in his teaching career and he feels that societal pressures have had an impact on young people. "There must be more commitment in order to guide and help our young people."

Excerpts from Mike's Letter to Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe, May 12, 2012

Constant in my life has been a desire to grow in faith. I have sought to do this by dedicating my life to my personal faith development through prayer and the study of scripture. I have also strived to provide opportunities for others to experience and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Through my extensive community, church and leisure activities I have always strived to evangelize by following St. Francis of Assisi's advice "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words", when working and interacting with others.

While it is difficult to judge whether one's actions have had a lasting impact on the faith development of others, my family is a witness to the power of faith in our lives. All of my children and grandchildren have a deep understanding of the fact that as Christians we are called to work for justice and peace in the world and they demonstrate this commitment in their own actions within their various communities.

I have been active throughout my adult life in service to others through my engagement in activities involving Church, Community, Youth and Education. I retrospect I feel that this can be attributed to being raised by parents who were devout Catholics; being educated by Basilian Fathers at St. Michaels College; and the training received at St. Peter's Seminary. Significant people who have also had an impact on my life include Fathers David Bauer csb and Frank Black csb who influenced my educational and faith development; Msgr R Farrell who was my spiritual director while stationed in Sault Ste. Marie; marrying my wife Linda; and the birth of our 5 children. I only hope that the lessons they have taught me have allowed me to shine Christs' light into the lives of those who often live in darkness.

What does Church mean to me? I find it somewhat difficult to respond briefly to this query for at various stages in my life my response would, I feel, contain specifics and influences of that era. However, a constant in all responses would be that which is unique to the Catholic Church namely the wonder of the Eucharist. Church to me has been and is a gift given to mankind by God through his Son and his successors to assist us in attaining salvation.

Service to me means using one's God-given talent for the betterment of self, others, and society.

Excerpts from Michael Sheehan Testimonial Dinner at the Conclusion of His Term as State Deputy June 20, 1998.

If you want something done, better ask a busy person and no one know more about being busy than Michael Sheehan, State Deputy . Mr. Sheehan has brought enormous enthusiasm and dedication to his position. In his tenure, he oversaw the Ontario Knights of Columbus' role in the Special Olympics in the winter of 1997 when the Knights not only served as volunteers at the Games but also donated a quarter of a million dollars to the Special Olympics Committee. He also directed the Knights in raising funds for victims of the Quebec floods, the Manitoba floods, and this year the Ontario/Quebec ice storms. He has an ongoing concern for the Arthritis Society of Ontario and he has often noted that over the past 26 years the Knights in Ontario have donated more than $14 million to the Arthritis Society of Ontario for special programs and research. Recently, at the 95th annual convention of the Knights of Columbus, 15 year old Sarah Geng, spoke to the gathering and thanked Michael Sheehan for his kindness in providing funds for children like her. Sarah has suffered with juvenile arthritis since she was one year old.

Bishop Brendan O'Brien, Ontario State Chaplain, Knights of Columbus, feels that Michael Sheehan's great devotion to his faith has directed him throughout his life. He said in an interview that at the recent annual Knights of Columbus convention, Sheehan's idea of bringing Donna French, mother of slain Kristen French to talk about the horrific circumstances of Kristen's abduction and murder and the family's faith in dealing with this tragedy was an idea that made the weekend very special for all delegates. Bishop O'Brien said, "Mike is certainly a wonderful person and very committed to many causes. I must say his work with the Knights Youth Camp has been remarkable and he has tremendous leadership qualities. He has been a great State Deputy."

Phil Zakoor, Chief Administrative Officer for the Knights of Columbus, said that because of Mike’s background in education and his strong business sense, Sheehan was instrumental in rewriting the policy book for the Knights of Columbus. Phil said, "He is a wonderful person and has been a tremendous asset to me, he brought a new dimension to the board with his background in business and finance."

FAMILY STYLE

At this year's annual convention, Sheehan embraced the themes of Renewing the Family in Faith and through his choice of programs exemplified what the Knights are all about - family and faith.

Throughout the past 2 years Michael Sheehan has truly been a Knight for all seasons.

* * * * * * * * * *

SHEEHAN Michael James - passed away peacefully at ARCH with his family at his side on Monday, December 20, 2021.

Loving husband of Linda (nee McQuain) Sheehan and devoted father of Colleen (Greg) Hannah, Kathy (Eddy) Furlong, Erin Sheehan, Terry (Lisa Bradford) Sheehan and Michaela (Matt Woods) Sheehan. Loving Grandfather to Travis (Erin Robinson) Hannah, Shauna (Greg) Carpinelli, Sean (Shaena) Furlong, Jeremy Hannah, Scott (Kaitlyn) Furlong, Shannon and TK Hannah, Riley Bradford, Brenna and Andrea Gorman, Kate Sheehan, Rosalie, Mitchell and Molly Sheehan-Woods. Great Grandfather of 11.

Michael was predeceased by his parents Dan and Jessimae Sheehan and by his siblings Joseph, Danny, and Terry Sheehan, Dennis (Heather) Sheehan, Patricia Barrow, Elizabeth (late Norm) Fiset, Jessimae Sheehan and Gwen (late Frank) Godfrey.

Michael was the very heart of his immediate and extended family who looked to him for guidance and were comforted by his strength and faith throughout their lives. Michael had a great sense of humour and was an outdoor enthusiast who loved camping, fishing and hunting. He enjoyed golfing and playing games with his children and grandchildren. Michael was an avid curler and together with his wife Linda, organized and ran the Boxing Day Fun Family Curling Bonspiel for many years. His passion for gardening was evident in a vegetable garden that was the envy of many.

Michael had a long and distinguished career in education. He served as a Teacher, Principal and Superintendent of Education with the Sault Ste. Marie Public School Board. He also served for many years as a trustee and Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Board.

Michael was a faith-filled man who gave witness to his faith as a reader, usher and served on several committees at St. Jerome’s Parish. He was very involved with the local Knights of Columbus, and the Fourth Degree. His passion for serving others inspired him to initiate a number of local and provincial projects that would provide others with the supports they needed to live fruitful lives. He worked with local business leaders to create affordable housing, initiating the Columbus Club Housing Corporation.

He was also involved provincially with the Knights of Columbus and is a Past State Deputy for Ontario and past Vice Supreme Master for Ontario and Manitoba. He founded the Ontario Catholic Youth Leadership Camp.

Michael’s dedication to his faith and community was recognized by Pope Benedict. Michael was the recipient of the Papal Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great for “recognition of his personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through his unusual labors, his support of the Holy See, and his excellent examples set forth in his community and in his country”.

Michael’s life of service to others, and his commitment to making the world a better place was inspired by his deep faith in God.

Family and friends are invited to visit at the Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522) on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 between 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Funeral Mass to take place at St. Jerome's Catholic Church on Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 1:00 pm (all Covid-19 restrictions apply). Family and friends are invited to view the service online starting at 1:00pm on Thursday and it can be viewed anytime up to 90 days following the service. Please go to www.funeraweb.tv and select Michael's name to view the service. Memorial contributions to ARCH would be greatly appreciated. The family would like to thank the doctors, and nurses for their excellent medical care and for the compassionate care given by ARCH staff, and our Personal Service Worker Marsha.