Carmella Janet Sheeler

Carmella Sheeler was born in New York, New York, on May 21, 1930, in the heart of the Great Depression. Although her early years presented challenges and moves between New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, she always considered herself to have led a charmed life. At age four she was diagnosed with spina bifida. Her family could not afford treatment and the only surgery available was experimental. When she and her mother met with the surgeon for consideration, Carmella pointed to a portrait on the wall. "Look. It's Abraham Lincoln," she said. The surgeon was impressed, as the portrait was of his father, whom he always thought looked like Lincoln. The surgery was promptly scheduled. It was high-risk, with three predicted outcomes: Inability to walk, severe mental impairment, or restored to "normal." As the nurses who marveled over Carmella playing solitaire during recovery would attest, she had been cured. As a young girl, Carmella had a passion for playing piano, reading, writing, and family. Her most prized possession was a piano given to her by her father. It made the move to Pennsylvania during hard times when the family was forced to live in a converted barn with no electricity or running water. The piano has been with her ever since. Carmella was gifted academically and musically. She was a music major, with piano as her primary instrument, at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania – until she could no longer afford to attend. This would prove to only be a temporary pause of her education. In 1949, Carmella was 19 and worked at WPOE radio in New Jersey as a librarian as well as on-air weekly for a children's show where she read and told stories. It was there that she met Mark Sheeler, who was a DJ at the station. Less than six months later, the two said their vows, beginning what was to become a 66-year marriage that continued until Mark's passing in August 2015. Much traveling followed. The Sheelers moved from Hagerstown, MD, Alexandria, VA, to Duluth, Minnesota, and finally, weary of the freezing temperatures, to San José, California. While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, both Carmella and Mark performed in plays at Hillbarn Theatre, which is still open today. Several years later they purchased their first home in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles where they would stay for the long haul. Their first child, Carrie, was born in 1961. Two other children followed: Wade in 1964 and Helene in 1969. Carmella was passionate about being a mother and wife. Her family enjoyed listening to her play the piano and singing while doing just about any activity around the house. After years of rearing children and volunteering in the reading lab at the local elementary school, Carmella went back to work and school. During her 34 years of employment with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), she wore many hats. She worked in the Internal Audit Division, Power Operating and Maintenance Division, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Services Unit. She completed her Bachelor's in Accounting and a Master's in Public Administration in her 60s, and retired at 87. After retirement, Carmella traveled more frequently to see her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in Missouri. She took a Mississippi River cruise with her big brother, Bill Gaudette, who is 100. The two dazzled passengers and crew as they danced the Lindy Hop. Carmella adored – and was adored by – her neighbors, who adopted her as the community grandma. She and her family became close with her caregiver, Nancy Lopez, who was with the family for years. Carmella survived her first encounter with stomach cancer at age 80. A surgery proved successful to remove it. That was fortunate because she could not tolerate chemotherapy. In October 2021, it was discovered her cancer had returned. Carmella was a friend to anyone needing an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on and always offered sage advice. The person who appreciated Carmella least was Carmella. She was loving, humble, and so impressively smart. She could never truly appreciate the impact she had on those around her. Carmella was preceded in death by her parents John M. de Baptiste and Maybelle Lindauere Yannacci, and sister LaMina Hoffman. She is survived by her brother William Gaudette, children Carrie Hernandez, Wade Sheeler, Helene Sheeler-Johnson, their spouses J. Jorge Hernandez, Karen Sheeler, Paul M. Johnson, and grandchildren, Maisie and Atticus Johnson. Carmella Sheeler will be laid to rest next to her husband Mark in the Columbarium of Radiant Dawn at Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills.