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Sheila O'Donovan Obituary
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SHEILA O'DONOVAN Sheila O'Donovan, writer, editor, explorer, gardener and stalwart defender of cats, died in her sleep at home early Monday. Diagnosed with ALS in 2006, she faced her illness as she did all the experiences of her adventurous life - unflinchingly, with courage and wit. She was 63. Sheila was born in Folkestone, England on January 10, 1945 and grew up as her country recovered from World War II. She knew the worth of loyalty, kindness, thrift and laughs. Her prodigious intellect, curiosity, and love for words earned her a scholarship at the prestigious Folkestone School for Girls, where she made lifelong friends and prepared for college where she studied to be a teacher. The world lured her from the classroom though. After a stint on London newspaper hub Fleet Street, she traveled first to America, then Hong Kong, Thailand and India, gathering the makings for her career in tabloid journalism along the way. In the early 1980s, she settled in South Florida, as the Globe Media Company set up shop here. One of few women in the raucous golden age of American tabloid newspapers she made her mark as 'Sheela Wood' advice columnist and matchmaker, dispensing uncompromising counsel to the lovelorn. In that capacity, she was credited with helping hundreds of couples find each other. Incapable of resisting a pun, she also wrote under the nom de plume 'Helen Highwater,' until she was asked to find another name. Sheila was a sharp-eyed proofreader who caught errors half a dozen people before her had missed. Her Halloween parties, where clowns, figures of celebrity, scandal and history mingled and were legendary among her colleagues in South Florida's tabloid valley. She worked at the Globe offices in Boca Raton until the anthrax attack and the death of her good friend Bob Stevens closed the building. She continued to work from home until illness forced her to retire last year. During the last seven years, inspired the memory of her friend Bob, and by her own nurturing nature, Sheila fed and trapped stray cats, taking them to be neutered, until her final days. Through recent years she continued, whenever the opportunity presented, to travel the world, once roaming through the Amazon on her own. But she was never more content than when she was in her own garden. She leaves a vast family of friends and felines, and her devoted and adoring companion, Tom Kirk, laughing, grieving and all the better for having shared her world. Memorial Services will be held Wednesday May 28, 2008 from 3 pm to 5 pm at the Kraeer Funeral Home, 1353 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Those wishing to remember her may make a donation to Feline Rescue, 3700 N.E. 24th Avenue, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064. KRAEER FUNERAL HOME 1353 North Federal Highway Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 395-1800 To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries
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Memories and Condolences
for Sheila O'Donovan
Cynthia Ritchie
July 31, 2025
Dear Friends of Sheila O'Donovan, My name is Cynthia and I live in Boca Raton, FL. I have never met this interesting woman, but I find myself in possession of her ashes, along with the ashes of the recently deceased Tom Kirk. I am reaching out to you in the hope that someone close to her would take those ashes for final disposition in a place and in a manner that she would have wanted. I can be contacted at [email protected]. I extend my condolences to all of you who have written such beautiful tributes. CER
Alan Fayette
June 26, 2008
Those clandestine trips through the jungles of Delray where Sheila fed a village of feral cats, and spending time with her pets at home. She was truly a loving friend of those precious animals.
"After Christmas Dinner 1998"
June 21, 2008
Millie Gregory
June 11, 2008
Dear Sheila we want you to know how important you were to us and all
who knew you. You were an amazing woman, ahead of your time,
filled with compassion and understanding. You were so gifted
and accomplished so much in your
short life and gave so willing to both
the Human and Animal Kingdoms. You
will certainly add "sparkle" to Gods'
Kingdom and following your Internship
we know you are certain to become Editor-In-Chief of a Heavenly
publication. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.
With Love, Millie & Sandy Gregory
Rothesay, N.B. Canada
Mike and Cassie Winters
May 29, 2008
She was a lovely lady - compassionate, always ready to help someone and a great person to be with. We will miss her.
Derek Taylor
May 28, 2008
My darling, darling Sheils, We met all those years ago and lived those crazy times in Folkestone and in different places around the world - remember how we got bitten by bed bugs in Cancun because we thought we'd 'rough it' again? The next night it was a 5* Hotel and lots of calamine lotion!. How we laughed and danced - wherever we were! You were my sweet 'sis' and I'll miss you forever.
Susan Goldfarb
May 27, 2008
Dear Sheila,
Your laugh, your compassion, your courage and -- oh ya! -- your cat stories(!) will all be missed. Hopefully you are in a better place, sharing a pint or two with Bob Stevens. We at the tabs are all better people for knowing you.
Vicky Bowles
May 27, 2008
My dearest Sheila, you've been taken from us too soon. You inspire with your love of living life to the fullest, and your devotion to friends and the dear cats. I replay often in my mind our last lunch last spring, with Antigone, at Senor Burritos, then sitting in your beautiful garden as the kitties moved in and out of the bushes to greet us. You showed more courage through these last two years than any of us could ever hope to emulate.
Catherine Macklon
May 27, 2008
Dear Sheila
My memories of you are your wit, quickness of thought, gorgeous irreverence, non conformity, and passion to live life to the full. You were 11 when we met in 1A at Folkestone County High School for Girls and already growing womanly and knowledgeable. I wished I had seen more of you after we left school. Your emails were so brave and full of insight. Go well.
christen shaughnessy
May 26, 2008
sorry about your loss
Hollie Salvail
May 26, 2008
Dear Sheila, What a wonderfulperson you were to take care of all the unwanted cats,even with your own health problems.You will be greatly missed friend,God Bless ,Hollie .
Carole
May 25, 2008
Sheila please send my regards to Bob Stevens. You were two of the nicest people I worked with and you both left us too soon.
Blazena Richards
May 24, 2008
Dear Sheila,
Thank you for being such a great, kind friend. We shared so many good times across the years in various locations, Greenwich, Blackheath, Florida and California. I shall miss your puns and our conversations.
Much love to you and Tom.
Sheila and Bob Stevens on St. Patrick's Day.
May 23, 2008
john rodgers
May 23, 2008
My last memory of Sheila was at the
Delray nursing home when she was recovering from a stroke. She was trying to learn to write again with Tom's patient help and the aid of a child's spelling toy. It was typical of her determination to overcome her disability although she was intelligent enough to know she was living on borrowed time. She never gave up.
It is such a short time ago that we became aware of her illness. We enjoyed a Beach Boys concert together on Deerfield Beach Founders Day. On the way home she fell inexplicably and gashed her leg. It was an early sign of motor neurone disease.
We watched the rapid progress to a walking stick, a wheelchair, the difficulty of typing and speaking. Yet throughout she fought the disease with good humor and journalistic ferreting. My wife, Margaret, and I shall miss her.
Harold and Sandra Lewis
May 23, 2008
It's hard to believe that you've been snatched away just when you seemed to be doing so well.
After we saw you in the nursing home, we thought it wouldn't be too long before we would again be seeking out the latest offerings from the outposts of the empire.
But there were to be no more curry lunches.
Sandra still remembers first meeting you way back in 1975 at the Patrician on South Palm Beach. She was living there then with her two children, Carole and Chris. Tony Brenna introduced you and Charles Parmiter, Kit and David Douglas and Judy Walsh. They were living there as well,
Since then, there have been many great times, many fun times, but many sad times as well. That's life.
What we'll recall most about you is that you were a great girl, kind, compassionate, intelligent, fun and very, very nice. You never changed over the years. We will always remember you that way.
Now you have gone to a better place, peopled by many old acquintances, and we'd like you to say a big hello from all of us here.
So, farewell, old and loving friend, may flights of feline angels speed thee to thy rest. And who knows?
Maybe we'll find you in your familiar role as master organizer, overseeing
a magnificent tithar, jhinga patia or roghan josh repast when we too pass over the rainbow bridge.
Jackie Barker
May 23, 2008
Since we met 52 years ago in class 1A Folkestone Grammar School, you have been a wonderful friend.
I imagine you in heaven surrounded by cats (they must be there for it to be heaven for Sheila) kitting out all the angels from your extensive closet, shaking your curls now returned to their natural blonde, and making all of heaven laugh at your witticisms.
I will miss the puns, the jokes, the many stories, your passions and the trips to Florida. You were so brave.
Love and sympathy to Tom.
Manny Silver
May 23, 2008
I can't help but smile and feel good at the mere mention of Sheila O'Donovan's name.
She exuded kindness, laughter, and love .... and always had a witty comment on the tip of her tongue.
Sheile really had the joy of life!
We were all lucky and blessed to meet her along the way.
She touched our lives in a beautiful way that will stay with us forever.
Sue Gregg
May 23, 2008
No matter the years that have passed since I last saw you Sheila -- sitting just a few desks away from me, barely visible above the mountains of mail and magazines -- I can still hear your laughter and feel the kindness that emanated from you, for any and all of us who knew you at Globe. Like all who have remembered you in this guest book, I am saddened by your passing and will hold fond memories of your spirit in my heart.
Donna Mariner
May 23, 2008
Sheila - the names of your many friends and admirers are here. I recognize a few, and hope to see many more of those of us who were honored to call you friend. You were a "legend in your own time". My hallway "wall of shame" still holds several memorable photos - the Balderdash parties, the Indian dinners, the pubs, Roly. "Those were the days, my friend!".
Mary Stewart
May 23, 2008
Sheila -
I can't believe you have gone as you have been such a good friend since we met at school 52 years ago.We were often in trouble for laughing at the wrong times,and generally not conforming.
I will never forget your wit,sharp mind , and kindness,as well as your fervent protection of felines,and your hoarding abilities. Most of all I will remember your courage,humour and spirit during difficult times,especially your illness.
Warmest sympathy also to Tom ,
Much love , Mary
Aloha from Noli & Saro at Hanauma Bay Hawaii
Noli & Saro Genova
May 23, 2008
Because of Sheila's column, we met 16 years ago and have been happily married for almost 14 years now. She wrote a couple articles about our love story in 1995 and 1997. We are grateful to this kind and generous lady and were so saddened by her untimely passing. Yet we are glad that she is no longer in pain and in a much better place now. God bless you, Shelia. We shall meet again.
May 22, 2008
Laura Graves
May 22, 2008
Sheila,
I have many happy memories of our years at The Examiner. Your tireless work on your column was inspiring, and the respect you showed your readers was touching.
You were such a bright light, and the world is forever changed without your selfless spirit here. You left too soon.
Rick Harlowe
May 22, 2008
TO: My dearest Chii-i-ii- a-a-a-aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
FROM: Ricar-d-d--o-o-oooooooo
I can just imagine you, Bob Stevens and Billy Burt sitting in the back room of some heavenly pub tossing down a few pints. I can even hear your laughter! With the angelic music in the background and a pint in your hands you probably would cut off the discussion of Bob or Billy by saying, "Let's not harp on that."
You were such a wonderful person with an effusive spirit that just oozed kindness.
One of my favorite stories that concerned your love of words was when you came to see one of my plays and stayed for the discussion after the show. You had remarked that this was the third play where I had a character in a wheelchair. Then you asked, "Do you use this as a crutch?" I still laugh in spite of the sad irony of seeing you in a wheelchair only a few weeks ago.
Thank you for your support for all those years. You embodied friendship.
I remember all those times of walking down the corridor and stopping by your desk just to chat, usually leaving in laughter.
I was blessed to have had a friend like you.
Love Ya!
Hilary Owen
May 22, 2008
Sheila and I never met in person but were internet friends for a long time sharing common interests in our cats and gardens. When ALS struck her down she was determined to fight this cruel disease all the way and she did so with great courage. I am proud to have known her and will miss her very much. My deepest sympathy to Tom.
Graham Boyle
May 22, 2008
Sheila thank you for all the support, advise and friendship, your wonderful sense of humour and all the great times. My prayers are with you.
Bob DeFrances
May 21, 2008
Sheeeeeilaaaaaaaa!
A final tribute with this usual salutation.
So many wonderful times we had over the years.
Will miss, think about, and love you forever.
Ken Matthews
May 21, 2008
We remember her eyes on the brink of mirth; ripe with a joke bursting to be told. We remember that, as a good tabloid writer, she could edge around the truth without hurting it any. We remember how her column gave advice to the incarcerated and comfort to the lovelorn, including her own dear Sheila self. We were not surprised at the courage and determination in the last bad days.
Shirley Bolton
May 21, 2008
Your true dedication to the many cats you helped was truly inspiiring. I always loved your column in the Globe. You will be truly missed- what a wonderful example you were to our younger generation - much love and respect - Shirley Bolton - Parkland Florida.
Steve Bazsuly & Family
May 21, 2008
Sheila.... you will be missed by all of us.....your sense of humor, intresting stories and our funfilled Christmas dinner parties will remain with us until the end of time. There will always be a very full dinner plate set for you in our hearts and minds.
Gene Donney
May 21, 2008
The tragic has quickly become the inevitable. But oh so fast. It seems just months ago when we met (it was 10 years); weeks ago when I attended her great Halloween party (it was 7 years, I think); and much more than a little over a year since she and Tom came to our Super Bowl affair. Very sad indeed. I will miss Sheila.
kathleen Huebner
May 21, 2008
Sheila,
I've been blessed to have you in my life. I will miss you, your great laugh and your compassion for all.
Maria Peters
May 21, 2008
I know that Sheila is being embraced now for
all of her dedicated work with the feral
cat colonies. I will remember her always
for her sweet disposition and ready laugh. My deepest sympathy to Tom.
Maria Peters
Morag Dick
May 21, 2008
Sheila -
Thanks for being my friend - for more than two decades - even in my reckless youth. I'll never forget trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to herd your cats, Hogshire and I driving through your lawn at three o'clock in the morning, Friday parties with all the Examiner crew ... the family that we were ...
Tom Wilbur
May 21, 2008
My brave, caring, clever, loving, good friend will always be in my heart. She is in a better place and I will miss her terribly. My life is better for having her in it.
Jan Goodwin
May 21, 2008
The hours we sat chatting on your dock or admiring your garden, the house opposite you on the other side of the canal I never bought but we planned I should, our mutual love of cats (but never as many as you had), and our shared enjoyment of garage sales (but never as many as you attended), your quick wit, vast ranging knowledge of the world around you, your warmth and ability to win friends no matter where you were. You will be missed. Deeply. JanG
Irene Bell
May 21, 2008
Dearest Sheila -
You were my friend and my travelling companion in the heady days of our youth. I will treasure our special memories. You will be remembered by so many for your quick and clever mind, your sharp wit and sincere compassion, as well as your delightfully endearing eccentricities. A light has gone from our lives with your passing. I will miss you so much.
'You can remember her and only that she's gone
'Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.'
Miss Tippy and Mr Tufty - a favorite photo
Jenny and Kelso Martin
May 21, 2008
What an inspiration to us all, Sheila, you suffered with such dignity and grace. Your humor, zest for life and compassion will live in our hearts for ever as will your spirit in our gardens, through your gifts of cuttings and plants. We miss you.
Maureen Daley
May 21, 2008
Sheila,
I will never forget the courage you have exhibited during this last year of your fight to survive. Your lack of self pity, never ending sense of humor and your will to survive are just a few of the traits that show the amazing woman I am honored to call friend. I will forever remember your spirit with a smile on my face and love in my heart and I will miss you very much.
Love, Moe
Brenda Leavy
May 20, 2008
Dear Sheila:
To have good friends you need to be a good friend and your numerous friends around the world testify to what a magnificent friend you were.
I shall never enjoy a great meal, sip a good wine, or knock back a cold beer without thinking of our many fun times together.
My love and condolences to Tom, who turned out to be the best friend of all
Rest in peace now,
Brenda (your old Folkestone Grammar School Mate)
Tom Kirk
May 20, 2008
My Darling Sheila, I thank God that he only gave me one heart.On losing you there was only one to break.I am so sorry that we never made that Indian Restaurant pact. You are definately with the angels,please look after us.
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