My heart is saddened at the loss of long time resident Sheila Wallace. She was a lady who served for many years on the Community Relations Committee. As chair of that committee, she worked endlessly to make Surfside a better place for us all. A true volunteer in every sense of the word. I will always remember her with an arm load of books and papers as she put 100% of herself in meetings and events. I am proud to say she was my friend and has left me with an arm load of good memories. We are all diminished by her passing. I am sure she is now busy in heaven getting that place organized. God bless you and thanks for all you did during your brief stay with us. Rest in peace, our friend.
4 comments:
My condolences to her family. May she Rest In Peace..😥
It seems wrong to only have one comment here. I didn't know Mrs. Wallace, but recognize her as someone I've seen in meetings. I'm 67 but I've only recently accepted that I'M OLD !! We have to accept our vulnerability at some point, even if our health is seemingly good. Sheila looks so alive and vibrant in this picture, and was apparently very active in the community. We just never know how long we may have once we get up in years. I'm sure she'll be missed greatly by her family and friends.
The meanness and harsh words often exchanged here on the blog seem particularly lame and petty when we reflect on the community service of such a lovely person, and a life taken away from her family, friends and neighbors. The reminder of our imminent mortality is sobering and often hard to accept.
It's amazing that we tend to have an inner sense of immortality, and in the face of such personal loss, buck up and carry on. It's difficult even knowing that some creatures live such a short time, and some such a long time. A lot of good deeds could be accomplished if we could live as long as a giant clam or tortoise - up to a few hundred years.
Well said 3:40 PM.
By my age of 81, you seem young. Seems like I was your age just yesterday. I have found that the worse thing about getting older is seeing friends and family pass away. No matter how old they are, it is always a shock.
I have been in Surfside for 14 years, but there are so many more here who are older and been here longer than I. As you know, by the time people are your age and mine, they "have paid their dues" unless your extremely lucky, we have seen good times and bad.
Many of us have lost our partner, and many more will. Living in a community like ours, I see this more often than in other communities.
I knew Sheila mostly from her activities on the Community Relations Committee. She was always calling me and asking if I was going to be at an event, and would I take pictures. I could never turn her down for anything.
I remember her telling me that she appreciated me sitting with her husband Mel at a dinner as it gave him someone to talk with. I knew he enjoyed me kidding around with him, and I always made an extra attempt to converse with him. He used to walk by my place every day with his walking stick and ear phones on. That got to be less and less until he was no longer able to do it. Sheila still found time to volunteer for Surfside, while being her husbands full time care giver.
Her husband Mel is devastated (I have been told). I have been trying to get the courage to go see him. Think I will do that later after all the activity is over.
I can't go to the funeral, as I can't handle it. My memory of her will always be her walking into the room with an arm load of papers as she planned for the next event. Everyone is special, but she was just a little bit more special. She brought many happy moments into my life.
3:40 sez ...You can definitely see the spark in her eyes and kindness.
A tough situation for her husband now. My wife and I have talked often of moving to Surfside full time, but feel the deterant is remoteness from healthcare services as we age. She has retired from teaching nursing at Centralia College where she was the director for 20 years, and she is well aware of the struggles rural folks can encounter when they need special healthcare services.
I think I would prefer living here full time, but I see my wife's point. Living in a small community can require a great deal of travel to seek out services, or even lodging elsewhere.
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