Sheila Woodlock

Woodlock, Sheila
Beloved Godmother, friend, teacher and cousin, Sheila Woodlock, 79, formerly of Milford, passed away peacefully on April 22, 2016, after a long illness. She was predeceased by her parents, Helen McGill and John Woodlock, and two brothers, Joseph and John. Sheila was born in Elmhurst, New York, on April 28, 1936, where she attended local schools, graduating from the former Notre Dame College of Staten Island in 1957. She worked after college in the publishing industry for some years, until her natural warmth, patience and humor turned her toward a calling as a teacher. She taught elementary and middle school in the Bronx and Queens until her retirement in the 1990's.
Though she spent her young and working lives in Queens, Sheila's heart was in Milford, at the beach home on Deerfield Avenue owned by her beloved aunts, Mandy, Kit and Julia. Having retired there, she spent many happy years tending her own and gardens, teaching English as a second language to recent immigrants, spending time with her many friends, and traveling. She especially loved snorkeling in the Caymans and visiting family and friends in her beloved Ireland, where she lived in the early 1960's, and to which she always returned.
She is survived by a wide network of devoted and long-time friends whose own families constituted a second family to Sheila. The deep love they felt for her is attested to by her serving as Godmother no less than six times over, to Sheela Clary of Massachusetts, Rosemarie Deveson of Albany, Australia, Sean Khorsandi of New York City, Erica Shipman Algeo of Ireland, Kristen Arisian of Milford, and Peggy Murphy of North Carolina. She also leaves behind her very close friends, Rosemarie Siegel of Egremont, MA and Colette Khorsandi of Ridgefield, CT and her devoted cousin Donald McGill of Cheshire, CT.
Sheila's loved ones will remember her as a fun-filled, compassionate, gentle friend with a unique gift for the art of listening. She was a wonderful teacher, generous soul, and person of deep faith. Sheila was a congregant since childhood at St. Mary Catholic Church in Milford, where a Memorial Mass will be held for her on May 28, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery, Milford. The family was compassionately cared for by the CODY-WHITE FUNERAL HOME, 107 Broad St., Milford. In lieu of flowers, donations in Sheila's memory may be made to the Milford Garden Club. To leave online condolences please visit our website at www.codywhitefuneralservice.com.