Obituary of Sheila Mary Ann Penney

With a mixture of joy and sadness, the family of Sheila Mary Ann (Smith) Penney celebrates her life and marks her passing. Sheila was born on March 16, 1945 in Grand Falls, Newfoundland to Ronald Thomas Smith and Lilith Leah (Pinsent) Smith. Our grandfather, Ron, worked in the Anglo Newfoundland Development Company (ANDCO) mill while our grandmother Lil kept the home fires burning. There was plenty to do in that regard as Sheila was the second of sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived to adulthood. From an early age, Sheila took charge of helping our grandmother “look out for the youngsters”. Several of our aunts and uncles shared over the years memories of big sister Sheila and the roles she played in their upbringing.

Sheila graduated from St. Michael’s High School in Grand Falls in 1962, followed by a year at vocational school doing medical stenography. She worked in the mill briefly but her first “real job” was at Central Newfoundland Hospital. She began her career, bought a car, which was often borrowed or used to ferry siblings, and went about settling into an adult routine and then came Lloyd! Our Mom and Dad met in Grand Falls in the early sixties, married in 1965 and as near as we can tell have been at each other’s side ever since. Rob came along quickly thereafter followed in the late sixties and early seventies by Jill, Jennifer and Jodi.

The 1970s were a decade of growth and a little bit of chaos for the happy couple and their growing family. They moved to New Brunswick, moved around in New Brunswick, then back to Pasadena, Newfoundland and finally back to New Brunswick. While all this was going on, Sheila and Lloyd hosted, for various durations, a few of her siblings, a cousin or two and several friends of the family. The door was always open if you were from Grand Falls and had come to follow your dreams on the mainland. Mom and Dad were never far in their hearts from Newfoundland and family, even when distance dictated they could not be there. That said, pretty much every summer vacation was a trip to Newfoundland, so we stayed in touch with our roots!

By 1977, Sheila and Lloyd found home and laid down roots. They moved us to what seemed like the edge of the earth, the then developing community of New Maryland, just south of Fredericton. New Maryland was the perfect spot. It seemed like as the community grew the family grew along with it or vice-versa.

By the 1980s, Sheila had just restarted with the Bank of Montreal (her first gig with BMO was back in Grand Falls), working frontline. She moved quickly through the ranks eventually becoming a branch and then regional manager. One of her favourite stops was as manager at UNB Campus Branch. There is still a sketch of the building in her living room. She touched so many people at the bank, both customers and colleagues, that it became common place for any of her children to run into someone who would say “I know your mother from the bank...lovely woman”. You didn’t even have to be in or near Fredericton for this to happen.

Sheila also helped ground the family in Christian faith. The family joined New Maryland United Church (NMUC) at about this time. Over the years, Sheila and Lloyd would both play important roles in their church community. Whether it was teaching Sunday School, serving on church committees, cooking meals, decorating...there was no job too big or too small and Sheila and Lloyd did them all with a smile . Sheila played a significant role in the modern extension to NMUC. It would also become the basis of their social network and they made lifelong friends there.

The kids also grew up largely in New Maryland. Sheila was proud of her children! Although we think she softened in her later years, she always found the right combination of “no nonsense” and loving support to keep us on the right track and by the early 1990s that track led to lives of our own including marriage and children. Sheila loved her in-laws as much as she did her own kids and they her. And the grandchildren are all perfect, at least according to her. Regarding the afterlife, Dad once said that it would be heaven to be reincarnated as one of Sheila’s grandchildren. They would probably agree.

In the early 2000s Sheila retired from the bank and applied her energy and talents to a variety of things. Lloyd retired around the same time and with the exception of a little bit of golf on his part, they seemed always to be together. She loved nothing better than to be surrounded by family and even as she got older, she insisted that her house remain the center of family events. She recently discovered all that is “great” about great-grandchildren! Appropriately, as she spent the last week of her life in hospital there was family around her constantly. She passed quietly and at peace on Monday evening, September 9, at the Doctor Everett Chalmers Hospital.

Sheila is predeceased by her parents and by three of her siblings, Yvonne, Bobby and Russell. She is survived by the aforementioned Lloyd (Fredericton), and children Rob (Cheryll), Jill Campbell (Shawn), Jennifer Haggerty (Sean) and Jodi Collins. She is also survived by the eight perfect grandchildren, Keely Collins (Josh), Josh Campbell, William Penney, Sara Small (Carter), Cicely Haggerty, Aidan Haggerty, Finn Collins and Rowan Collins and the two most recent additions, great-grandsons Hudson and Campbell Collins. She is also survived by her remaining twelve brothers and sisters and in our family more cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and in-laws than anybody could count.

There will be a memorial service at New Maryland United Church on Saturday, September 14 at 11:00 with reception to follow. Those who wish may donate in Sheila’s name to NMUC Building Fund or a charity of the donor’s choice.

With love,
Rob, Jill, Jennifer and Jodi