Sheila Sundaram

The Livestream Link will be available HERE on the day of the service and will go live approximately 5 minutes before the event.

Sheila Sundaram was born Susheila Zubeda Khan to Bhanu and Abdullah Khan on October 27, 1937 in Hiradhungi, Almora, Uttarakhand, India. She died after a brief illness on December 25, 2025 at age 88 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Upon the untimely and early death of her mother, Sheila was adopted by Capt. Dr. Crawford T. Wilson* (British Indian Army) and Winita (Winnie) Wilson (nee Eli) of Dwarahat and Almora, UK, India. She excelled in her studies - first at Lalbagh Girls School, Lucknow, UP and later at Adam’s Girls School, Almora, UK. After completing the B.Sc. in Home Science at Baroda University, Gujurat, Sheila returned for teacher training to Lalbagh Inter College, Lucknow.

While a student teacher at Lalbagh, she met Dr. Ernest B. Sundaram - before departing to earn her Master’s degrees in Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Education (summa cum laude) at the National College of Education in Evanston, Illinois, USA. They were married upon completion of her studies in Evanston in 1960 and moved to Durham, NC, USA where Ernest undertook a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Duke University and Sheila taught at the Duke Memorial Nursery School. Both their families had long-term affiliation with and commitment to the Church, and they were supported in their post-secondary education abroad by Christian institutions. They, in turn, dedicated their lives to serving and developing Indian Christian institutions.

Sheila and Ernest returned to India in 1961 - for the birth of daughter Anita and to Clara Swain Hospital in Bareilly, UP, where Ernest was the first Indian Medical Superintendent and Chief Surgeon.** There their two younger children Vinita and Amardeep were born and Sheila founded a nursery school where she taught the children of hospital staff.

Sheila then taught Kindergarten at Woodstock School, Mussoorie for the next 10 years, while their children studied there. Meanwhile Ernest continued as Medical Superintendent and Chief Surgeon at CFC Hospital, Vrindaban UP and Methodist Hospital, Jaisinghpura, UP, after several years in New Delhi, where he cofounded the Volunteer Health Association of India - VHAI.

As always, their home was open to a constant flow of guests, colleagues, friends and relatives - Sheila was known for delicious meals and generous hospitality. She had practical ways, simple tastes and held a special place in her heart for orphans and those who had lost their mothers. Both Sheila and Ernest were loved for their outgoing, ebullient personalities. For several consecutive summers, she managed Rokeby near Lal Tibba, Mussoorie - where students of the Landour Language Institute stayed.

After their return to Delhi, Sheila went on to lead as Headmistress of the new Primary School of St. Thomas Girls School in Karol Bagh, that she was instrumental in designing. She retired from that position at 60 and continued her marriage-long role as honorary consultant and support to Ernest’s career. He was founder and Director of Naujheel Integrated Rural Project for Health & Development (NIRPHAD) established 1978. In 1983, Sheila was one of the featured speakers at the UN-sponsored international conference on Women & Health in New York, NY.

Sheila and Ernest’s Old Delhi home was open to a procession of guests, to whom she was an accomplished hostess. She established a beautiful garden, planting fruit and ornamental trees, as she had done in their previous homes, and, as an avid dog-lover, continued to raise numerous pets of all kinds. Construction of the Metro led to their move to Greater Noida, where they enjoyed making many friends, as was their custom. They continued to travel, both professionally and to visit family and friends - and were especially fond of being with their beloved grandchildren.

In 2019, Sheila and Ernest moved permanently to live in Saskatoon, Canada - with their daughter Vinita, her husband Pradeep and granddaughter Anushka. They enjoyed getting to know and love Goitom Gaber, Anushka’s intended and an integral part of the family. Sheila continued to enjoy cooking, gardening and loved taking long walks with the family dogs - her lifelong passions. She was a nature-lover and pukka Pahadi! An avid user of social media, she continued to maintain regular contact with hundreds of friends and family members in India and abroad. In recent years Sheila reached out to and was reunited with her step-siblings and their families. In October, she returned to India with Vinita and Anushka to celebrate her 88th birthday with Amardeep, daughter-in-law Susana and many family members and friends in both Delhi and Lucknow.

Sheila was preceded in death by Ernest, her beloved husband of 62 years, her brothers Bahadur Khan, Sama and Harry Wilson, and sister Mrs. Promila (Kabutar) George. She is remembered fondly by her sister, Mrs. Urmila Gottlieb, and her children Anita Sundaram, Vinita Sundaram (Chrys Pradeep Henry), and Amardeep Sundaram (Susana Tobia Arrasate), and her grandchildren Anushka Henry, Pablo and Ines Sundaram Tobia. Shiela was a force of nature and will be remembered for her love of family, zest for life and a life well-lived as a Christian.

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, Or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you, Or the plants of the earth, and they will teach you, And the fish in the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all beings.

Job 12: 7-10

* Dr. C.T. Wilson’s father, Dr. Harku T. Wilson was reportedly the first doctor to travel to Tibet with the famous explorer, Arnold Henry Savage Landor

** For the story of Ernest’s early life and career, including meeting and marrying Sheila, see Palace of Healing by Dorothy Clarke Wilson - The Story of Dr. Clara Swain, First Woman Missionalry Doctor and the Hospital She Founded, c. 1968, McGraw-Hill

There will be a Funeral Service held for Sheila on January 11th, 3:00pm at St. John's Cathedral (816 Spadina Crescent, Saskatoon, SK)