January 16, 1923 - February 7, 2019
Sheila MacDonald Ogilvie passed away peacefully in the Comox Valley on February 7, 2019.
Sheila's life was defined by three key themes: a lifelong love of learning, care for others, and a love of nature. Sheila was born in Vancouver, BC. Her parents came from an academic background and Sheila excelled as a student. She also played the violin and performed in the children's orchestra in Vancouver. This early music experience led to a lifelong love of listening to classical music.
As an adult, Sheila graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor's degree and obtained her Registered Nursing Degree from UBC in 1946. She subsequently studied at the University of California, Berkeley and then at the University of Minnesota, where she earned a master's degree in Public Health Nursing-graduating with honours.
Sheila returned to Vancouver BC, where she worked as a public health nurse, rising to become a health unit supervisor. During her career in Vancouver, she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others. Sheila worked on initiatives such as the Well Baby Clinics for mothers and their infants and helping students as a visiting public school nurse at local elementary and high schools.
In addition to a love of learning and helping others, Sheila had a profound love for nature and animals. She spent a lifetime of summers visiting her family's cottage on Savary Island, BC. Sheila spent countless happy hours exploring the beaches and forest trails of Savary Island.
Sheila spent the last decade of her life in the Comox Valley exploring the beauty of the area with her eldest son David and with her friends.
Sheila Ogilvie was kind, compassionate, thoughtful, and lived life with a sense of gratitude. She loved people, books, and music. We will miss her laughter, her smile, and her gentle words of encouragement. It is with profound sadness we mark her passing.
Sheila is predeceased by her husband, John Thwaites, and is survived by her two sons, David Cameron and Ian Thwaites.
Her son David would like to thank Dr. Patricia Johnson for providing Sheila with years of excellent health care. David would also like to thank Dr. Pedro Camacho for his work in maintaining and improving the quality of Sheila's life.
In recognition of the outstanding care Sheila received at the Comox Valley Hospital and Hospice at The Views in Comox, donations to the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, located at 101 Lerwick Road, Courtenay, BC, V9N 0B9 would be greatly appreciated.