SHEILAH LORRAINE WHEELER SWEATMAN

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SHEILAH LORRAINE WHEELER SWEATMAN February 8, 1982 - June 29, 2011 Teddi and Wynn Sweatman, and their children Tom, Megan, Mark and Victoria are saddened beyond words to announce the loss of their precious daughter, Sheilah on June 29, 2011. Sheesh was lost while participating in a Search and Rescue mission in British Columbia while helping others. Her brother Tom, his wife Wendy and son Donovan will miss her terribly. Sheilah was Donovan's godmother. They were in touch a lot and shared every special family occasion together. Her sister Megan, and her husband Jeff Holliday and their two young boys, Luke and Jace, loved Sheilah. They visited often. She created a world of fantasy for the boys and adored them. Her brother Mark was a kindred spirit in their sometimes unconventional and imaginative approach to life. He and his partner, Lea Kovach, loved Sheesh and shared wonderful times at the lake or on trips together. Victoria was Sheilah's younger sister and closest friend in the world. They talked all the time, made their vacation plans together and supported one another with unconditional love. Victoria's partner, Cliff Rediger, also loved Sheilah and supported their strong relationship. Teddi and Wynn enjoyed thousands of outdoor adventures with Sheilah including ski trips, dog sledding, running and days at the lake. She and Teddi particularly enjoyed training for half marathons, shared knitting projects and planned carpentry projects together. She and Wynn skied the trees and the moguls as fast as they could, dog sledded and emulated the same passion for winter outdoors. Sheilah was a constant in their lives and talked to them every day. Sheilah also leaves behind her grandparents, Alan and Lorraine Sweatman, as well as aunts and uncles: Alan (Sheilah's godfather), Paul (Cathi Moss), Margaret (Glenn Buhr), Elizabeth and Scott (Linda Ostry) Sweatman. She grew up knowing all her cousins through a determined family effort to rally around the cottage and special family occasions. As a young girl she built forts with them at the lake, resurrected old boats, bounced her cousins off the trampoline, swam and fished with them, laughed and planned more adventures. Cheryl (Sheilah's godmother) and Bob Moody are her very special aunt and uncle from the Wheeler side of the family; something Sheilah felt so deeply about that she had her own name changed to incorporate the Wheeler name. She adored her Gran , Muriel Wheeler. She teased and stayed in touch with her cousins Robb and Chris Moody even over long periods of absence from Winnipeg. Sheilah demonstrated her independent streak very early in life. Not always easy to manage, her teachers have remembered her for her strength of character, her physical strength and her creative ability. In university she chose Fine Arts and graduated with a body of work that is still representative of her wide use of various mediums. Later she went to Nova Scotia Community College to become a carpenter and earned credit there as the first woman carpenter hired by a local prominent builder. They were glad it was Sheilah and said: She earned everyone's respect and always did more than her share . Sheilah was first at lots of things. She never waited for permission, never doubted her ability to learn and always put forth maximum effort to do the best job possible. She made the same commitment to carpentry, her art work and her enormous interest in the outdoors. Her Art Works logo described her philosophy that art was a way to touch or speak to the emotions of the viewer. She worked hard at combining a talent for realism and function, while breaking the rigidity, and playing with the medium to achieve movement, emotion and uniqueness. It was an early passion that we believe was becoming known very widely. She had sold pieces all over Canada and in the United States. Perhaps her best piece, entitled Finding Me, was never sold because she donated it to The Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba Inc. It was created from 500,000 jigsaw puzzle pieces and attracted national attention. The Children's Director of Research described it as one of the most unique pieces he had ever admired and said: From its first conception through to completion, your originality shines through and you should be highly commended. Finding Me hangs in the John Buhler Research Centre for all to admire. Her most recent medium was to use Merino wool and silk and felt them into landscapes or abstracts that make beautiful alternatives to the more rigid form of paintings. She created soft, colourful scarves that blend art, form and function in an explosion of colours, each expressing a different emotion. Sheilah's devotion to the outdoors began as a child and continued through to her move to Nelson. She had lived on the Prairies and loved them but also lived on both coast lines. Her favourite place in the world was Lake of the Woods. She spent every summer of her life there and has left samples of her art and carpentry all around the lake. She chose to live in the Kootenays where she could pursue the outdoors. She was a fearless and accomplished snowboarder, mountain bike rider, cross country enthusiast, rafter and hiker. Her love of the outdoors began in Winnipeg, raising and working with her beloved Alaskan Malamutes. She and her entire family loved to dog sled. She was never deterred by the cold and thrilled at the sights and sounds that were part of every trip. Rain or shine her memorial service will be outdoors! In Nelson she adopted an abandoned cat, named him Bob Dylan and nurtured him into a great companion and beautiful animal. From March of this year she was in love with Freya, her German Shepherd pup, that Sheesh wanted to train for avalanche rescue missions. Above all, Sheilah was dedicated to serving others. She worked at the Nelson Animal Hospital where she began by doing entry level jobs but was soon integrated into their whole operation, including assisting in the operating room. She took home animals that needed special care and even adopted a big old dog, Sage, who was not expected to live long but gave Sheilah nine months of pleasure and love in return for her selfless attention to him. Of course, it was this same trait to serve that led her to Search and Rescue where she volunteered and trained for nearly two years. Sheilah thought it was important to help those who were in danger or had been injured. She was dedicated to doing the right thing. Even “recovery” missions were essential for the peace and comfort that could give to families. Ironically and tragically Sheilah became a victim in a mission to recover someone she did not know. She will be missed and loved by her parents, family and friends forever. Sheilah’s memorial service will be outdoors at Fort Whyte Centre on Friday, July 8 at 5:00 p.m. There will be a second service for her in Nelson on or about July 18 to 22 to commemorate her selfless dedication to Nelson’s Search and Rescue. A fund has been established with Fort Whyte Alive in Sheilah’s memory: The Sheilah Sweatman Memorial Fund in support of (or for) wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and environmental education. In lieu of flowers, donations will be gratefully received by Fort Whyte. DESJARDINS 233-4949 1-888-233-4949

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 06, 2011