Sheila MacLean

Sheila Blackwood MacLean

October 18, 1934 - December 16, 2024

Sheila Blackwood MacLean, born in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on October 18, 1934, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2024, surrounded by her family at Circle Drive Special Care Home in Saskatoon.

The daughter of James Winter and Helene Heitmann, Sheila was predeceased by her beloved husband, Lawrence Patton (Pat) MacLean; her sisters, Barbara and Helen; and her brothers, Gordon and James (Jim).

She is lovingly remembered by her children: sons James, Cameron (Alicia), and Patton; daughter Paula and son-in-law Randy Klein. Sheila was a proud grandmother to Stephen, Sarah, James, Lauren, Murdoch and Rebecca and great-grandmother to Oliver.

Her family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Circle Drive Special Care Home for their extraordinary and compassionate care during Sheila's final years.

Sheila was born in Jasper, Alberta in the depth of the great depression. Her early years were spent just outside of the townsite of Jasper, where the family had a small dairy farm. As a child, she slept three abed with her two sisters; in winter they would place rocks, heated by the wood stove, into their beds at night.

Sheila's family moved into Jasper when her father started to work for the CNR. Sheila completed elementary and high school in Jasper where her family lived on Geikie Street and she worked at the local ice cream shop with her beloved sisters Barb and Lol (Helen).

Upon finishing high school, she lived briefly in Penticton, and then moved to Edmonton to attend secretarial school, where she excelled. While working as a secretary, she met her future husband, Patton (Pat) MacLean. The couple had their first three children in Edmonton before moving to Ottawa, where Cameron, their fourth child, was born. In Ottawa, Pat would begin his long career in the federal civil service, and Sheila would work for Statistics Canada, and then for the Ottawa Separate School Board.

Sheila continued her career after the family moved to Saskatoon, working as a secretary in Joe Duquette High School before finishing her career in the Student Counselling department at Bishop James Mahoney School.

Sheila also put her remarkable administrative skills to work outside of her regular job. At home, before computers, she provided word processing services for students and faculty at the University of Saskatchewan. She combined lightning-fast typing speed with near-perfect spelling, usage, grammar and formatting skills. All this at a buck a page.

Throughout her life, Sheila remained dedicated to sports and fitness. Over her life, she continued to add physical pursuits, becoming highly competitive in curling, badminton and tennis. She walked along the Meewasin Trail in Saskatoon daily, even late in life remarking that everyone else on the trail "seem to walk so slowly". Sheila also had a lifelong passion for bridge and eventually attained the level of Bronze Life Master, which she proudly displayed on her car's license plate.

Sheila was, along with everything else, a loving and supportive wife, mother, aunt and grandmother.

Late in her life, Sheila was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But even as her physical and intellectual gifts diminished, she remained strong and vibrant in spirit. When her symptoms made it necessary, she moved into Circle Drive Special Care Home. Throughout her time at CDSCH, she developed a reputation for having a mischievous smile and a kind word for everyone. Despite her condition, she was relentlessly positive. As a result, she was deeply cared for by staff there.

Sheila will be honoured in a private memorial service.