SHEILA KAWAHARA

It is with deep sadness, we announce the peaceful passing of Sheila Nancy Kawahara (nee Morris) on January 21, 2026 with her family by her side. Sheila, aged 79 years old, resident of Pioneer Ridge, 750 Tungsten Street, Thunder Bay was born on the 15th of April 1946. She was raised and educated in Fort William, Ontario attending Isabella School, Fort William Collegiate Institute and Lakehead Teacher's College. Sheila was employed by the Lakehead Board of Education until her retirement in 2001.

Sheila spent most of her teaching career in the primary grades with junior and senior kindergarten as her favourite grades. Even after several years of retirement, many of her former students, now adults with children and grandchildren of their own, fondly remembered Mrs. Kawahara who always gave them gentle and loving hugs.

Sheila enjoyed her Saturday morning shopping trips to the Keskus Mall and the lunch time upstairs at Eaton's store with her mom, Nora. Scrabble was her chosen board game. It brought many laughs and good times with Dianna and other friends. Sheila was an accomplished scrapbooker. After a trip to Japan to visit husband David's aunt, she recorded the trip in a beautiful scrapbook that is now a family heirloom. Sheila also had a knack for card making. She embellished her cards with add-on features created by the paper art form known as quilling - the craft of rolling and pinching narrow strips of paper into decorative designs to enhance the look of cards and picture frames. This favourite hobby gave her many hours of friendship and enjoyment with her good friend, Joan.

In days gone by, Sheila enjoyed many getaway weekends to Duluth and Minneapolis with her husband, David and sons Glen, Greg and Darren. Blue Jay games, Valleyfair, and the Mall of America were mandatory stops. Many fun times were spent watching the boys and grandchildren compete at baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, soccer, running and curling events both at home and away. As time moved on, the trips turned into visits with family to Vancouver, British Columbia, Ponoka, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario.

Sheila liked to be active. She walked with a weekly group at Intercity Mall for many years, with friends Dianne, Marilyn, and others. She prided herself on achieving 10,000 steps a day.

Sheila enjoyed mixed curling at the Fort William Curling Club, but especially the social time with friends after the game. She also organized a curling league for an organization known as the Professional Engineer's Wives Association.

Sheila is survived by her spouse David, sons Glen (Jocelyn), Greg, and Darren (Daniella), and grandchildren, David, Matthew, Katie and Paige. Also surviving are Sheila's brother Jim (Dianne), sisters-in-law Elizabeth, Dinah, Maryann and Kelly, along with several nephews and nieces

Sheila was predeceased by her parents, Claude and Nora Morris, brothers Gerald, Dave (Mary), and John. She was also predeceased by parents-in-law Thomas and Yoshiko Kawahara, brother-in-law Dick and sister-in-law Shirley.

Many thanks to Dr. Coccimiglio and the fourth-floor staff at Pioneer Ridge. Our family is so grateful for the care you have given Sheila over the many years.

In lieu in flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Society of Thunder Bay. Cremation has taken place and a private family gathering will be held at a later time. To honour her life, a moment of peaceful prayer for Sheila would be a very kind thought.