JOHNSON, Sheila Darlene (Weatherby), 69, Brentwood, Colchester County

It is with a mix of immeasurable sorrow, yet profound admiration that we announce the passing of our brave, courageous wife and mother, Sheila. Mum/Nanny died peacefully at home on her own terms, surrounded by family on Thursday, October 29, 2020, after a valiant nine-month battle with metastatic small-cell carcinoma, while maintaining her great sense of humour to the very end.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Wayne; son Scott, Iqaluit, Nunavut; son Michael and his sons William and Hugo, and their mother, Mélanie Genest, all of Embrun, Ontario; son Kameron, his fiancée Jelisa Gibbs, their sons Bryce and Braxton, Brackley, P.E.I., and his daughter, Olivia Vautour and her mother, Mélanie Vautour, Moncton; her siblings, Elizabeth Weatherby, Truro Heights, Wayne (Debi) Weatherby, Calgary, Barry Weatherby, Brookfield, and Jean Axworthy, Truro, and Wayne’s siblings, Doug (Anne) Johnson, Heather (Glen) Scott, Ian (Carolyn) Johnson, all of Kemptown, Bev (late Donnie) McNutt, Truro, and his brother-in-law, Wade MacKay, Central North River; her uncle Keith (Pearl) Works, Truro Heights, and aunt Dorothy (late Allan) Works, Bible Hill. Mum is also survived by special granddaughters (nieces) Danica Axworthy, Paisley, Scotland, and Tanya Weatherby, Brookfield, as well as numerous other nieces and nephews, and their children and grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, Mum was predeceased by her stepfather, Norman Cameron (1979), grandparents James and Almira (Blois) Weatherby (1956, 1952), and Clarence and Glenna May (Hughes) Works (1988, 1986), great-grandparents, Charles and Ada (Blois) Works (1956, 1976), and Henry and Margaret (McCarthy) Hughes (1955, 1961), her in-laws, Howard and Jean (Douglas) Johnson (1983, 1997), sisters-in-law, Gertrude (Johnson) Hingley (2011) and her husband Henry (2012), Barb (Johnson) Mitchell (2016), and Dawn (Johnson) MacKay (2012), and her brothers-in-law, Brian Johnson (1978) and Larry Johnson (2020). Mum was also predeceased by her best friend, Sharon (Rutherford) McCallum (1995).

Mum was born Saturday, June 16, 1951 at the Colchester County Hospital, 201 Willow Street, Truro, the eldest of four children of her parents, the late Chester Gordon Weatherby (1960) and Eileen (Ilene) Verna Works (1989). She spent her childhood between Truro Heights and McClures Mills. Mum and Dad met when they were thirteen and fifteen, respectively. They were married July 26, 1969 in Truro Heights United Baptist Church. They renewed their vows on August 8, 2009 in their backyard, during the surprise party celebrating their 40th anniversary. They spent the first year of their marriage in the Truro area, but followed Dad’s sister and brother-in-law, Gert and Henry Hingley to Alberta in 1970. After five years in Calgary, they returned to Nova Scotia in 1975, settling in Brentwood, where they raised their family.

Mum was a machine operator at Stanfield’s for a short time before their marriage, then again from 1983 to 2001 after rejoining the workforce. Mum was a creative, talented individual who always had something on the go: from knitting our mitts and sweaters as kids, macramé, ceramics, home-made Christmas ornaments, toll painting, and for the past while, home made (greeting) cards. Her best friend Sharon would have Mum paint the eyes on her ceramics, remarking that “nobody can paint eyes as life-like as Sheila (does)”. As a teenager, she was a member of the Truro Heights United Baptist Church choir. Mum was an avid bowler. In 1974, her team from Calgary represented Alberta in the 4th National Bowling Championship in Vancouver. After the move home to Nova Scotia, she played in the Brookfield Bowling League for many years, and more recently, together with Dad, in the seniors’ league.

Mum was always actively involved in the lives of her sons and the community: a volunteer in the hot lunch program at Brookfield Memorial Elementary School prior to returning to work, volunteer with the South Colchester Minor Hockey Association while her sons were in hockey, and following her retirement, she joined Unit #2 (Brentwood) of the United Church Women of Brookfield United Church pastoral charge. In the early 1980s, Brentwood had an active community association. Living across the road from the community hall, Mum was very active in most of the volunteer activities that took place during that time: setting up for dances, assisting at the weekly Thursday-night bingo, leader of the Little Rascals, and the writing and distribution of the community newsletter, the Brentwood Bugle. Our home in Brentwood seemed like a second home to many of her sons’ friends, often the gathering place after hockey or baseball games.

Mum treasured family. We could not have asked for a better mother. Our grandmother Johnson once said of Mum and Dad that they were like a pair of old socks (well matched/made for each other). Mum cherished and adored her grandchildren, and loved being a grandmother – so much so that when her niece Danica came along in 1993, with no living maternal grandparents, it was only logical to Mum that she and Dad would have that role.

This barely scratches the surface of the amazing woman, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, niece, and friend she was. Live. Laugh. Love.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Victorian Order of Nurses. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place at Colchester Community Funeral Home, 512 Willow Street, Truro, Sunday, November 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held on Monday, November 2nd at 2 p.m. from the funeral home and streamed online at service time; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, in person attendance will be by invitation. Masks are to be worn and COVID-19 restrictions will be in place for both.

For those unable to attend the funeral, we welcome everyone to join us for Mum’s interment and graveside service sometime next summer in Kemptown Anglican Cemetery. Online condolences/webcasting is available at: www.ColchesterCommunity.com