SHEILA FORD

1942 - 2019

Sheila Lee Ford (Age 76)  
Passed away at home on June 12, 2019. She was born in Pleasant Valley, New York on October 12, 1942. She attended Arlington and Roosevelt High Schools in Poughkeepsie, New York. She graduated from Krissler Business Institute and started working for IBM. Soon after, she met the love of her life, Orkendell Ford, who she had been married to for 55 years at the time of her passing. The two settled with their young daughter Darlene in Alexandria, Virginia after spending time in New York, Spain and Oklahoma. Sheila retired after a long career with the Department of Defense in 2002, where she received numerous awards for her achievements. A life-long creative, Sheila began a second career as a potter upon retirement, exhibiting and selling her pieces in Northern Virginia and beyond. She shared her love of pottery with others through classes she instructed in her studio. In her later years, she and her husband spent their free time on the lake with friends and family.  Sheila is survived by her husband Orkendell Ford; her daughter's partner Belinda Van Mossel; her brothers LeGrand Fowx, II (Jessica) and Francois Fowx; her sisters-in-law Sarah Rudolph (Jerry), Shirley Williams (John), Jenevieve Ford (Ed) and Billie Scott (Dred). She is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family and beloved friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Jeannette Lee and LeGrand Fowx, daughter Darlene Ford and brother-in-law Robert Ford.  A celebration of life will be held at a later date.  The family requests that expressions of sympathy be made to NOVA Pride or The Haven Shelter.