Sheila Marie Wood

1933 - 2022

Sheila passed away peacefully in her home while surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 89.Sheila was born in San Diego, California, and was the first of four children born to William Thomas Speer and Marie Dorothy (DeWolfe) Speer. She was raised in a Naval family and thus moved frequently. The family eventually settled in Bellflower, California, where Sheila finished high school and began attending Long Beach City College. While in college, she received a full scholarship from the Moose Lodge, graduating from the Queen of Angels School of Nursing in Los Angeles, California, in 1954. After graduation, Sheila and a friend, Pat Lee, traveled back east and enjoyed adventures in New York, New Orleans, and other exciting destinations while serving and caring for others as nurses in various hospitals. During this time, Sheila honed her nursing skills, and these skills, along with her vibrant personality, opened the door to amazing opportunities, not the least of which was working as a nurse aboard ship for Matson Cruise Lines. On one South Pacific adventure, Sheila met and fell in love with the ship's first mate, Raymond Andrew Wood II, whom she would later marry. Together they would have three children, whom she considered were "her greatest gifts from God."Sheila eventually settled in Novato, California in 1967, and began working as a nurse at Novato Community Hospital. As a hardworking, single mom (divorced in 1970) Sheila kept her children involved in many activities, and the family spent their summers road-tripping through the Western United States in their 1969 convertible Mustang. Sheila retired from nursing at the age of 65, after working at Novato Community Hospital for 29 years. During that time, she was also able to achieve her Bachelor of Arts in Health Services Administration at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California. Following retirement, Sheila started volunteering and found that it kept her even busier than when she was working. She was a docent for the Miwok Museum and was involved in planning and working in their festivals. She was a member of the Novato Senior Club, where she volunteered taking blood pressure, was a trip guide, and an active participant in craft fairs and luncheons. Sheila was a member of a hiking club, and once while hiking on the top of Mt Tamalpais, she had to perform CPR on a fellow hiker (Sheila was in her 70's at that time). After that harrowing incident, she realized that most of the club members were not CPR trained. She made it her mission to change that, by becoming an American Heart Association CPR trainer. As a member of the Marin Garden Club, she enjoyed raising plants for charity. She was a proud member of the Women's Professional Club of Marin, The Novato Historical Guild, and the Red Hat Society. Sheila's most treasured volunteering opportunity was her 25 years spent working at Hodge Podge Thrift Store for Hospice By the Bay. She enjoyed the opportunity to work with the community while supporting hospice. As with many members of the community, Covid stopped all her volunteer duties and left her home bound. However, this encouraged her to ramp up her love of reading and exploring her new hobby of bird watching in her backyard. She also went back to writing her memoirs with the help of her daughter, Andrea.Sheila is survived by her three children, Raymond Wood of Novato, Andrea (Dave) Lovejoy of Concord, and Alicia (Arnold) Estrada of Long Beach. By three grandchildren, Danielle (Dominic) Moresi of Bay Point, Christopher (Jessica) Lovejoy of Concord, and Rikkel Wood of Sonoma, and by one great grandchild, Jacob Lovejoy of Concord. She is also survived by her brother William (Jane) Speer of Boise, Idaho, Margaret Dripps of Ogden, Utah, and Stephan (Andrea) Speer of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, as well as many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank, Suncrest Hospice and Visiting Angels, for their support during Sheila's illness and subsequent death. An open house will be held at her home on January 21, 2023, from 2 to 5 pm as a celebration of life. Please come and share stories of this amazing woman and nurse.