Gelinas
Sheila Jean Gelinas (nee Allison) was born April 10, 1944 at Rimbey, Alta. and died Jan. 21, 2020 at Stettler, Alta.
Sheila was born to George “Doc” Allison and Cora Allison in the Rimbey area in April of 1944.
She was the sixth of 12 children (three boys and nine girls).
Sheila grew up on the family farm east of Rimbey, where she worked hard to help her mom and dad by caring for younger siblings, feeding livestock and working in the garden and fields.
Sheila loved school, math being her favourite subject.
She loved playing intermural sports with the school, especially basketball (even with her short stature).
After she graduated, she went off to nursing school in Barrhead and became an RNA.
Once her training was complete, she worked in Medicine Hat, then in Stettler, where she settled in 1963.
She worked at the Stettler General Hospital from July 1, 1963 until 1973, when she took a break to raise her children.
She and her then-husband Phillip moved around the US for a number of years, following his work in the oil patch.
Sheila soon realized her children needed a more stable home environment, so she moved back to their little home just outside of Stettler.
By now, there were four children, so a bigger home was needed. Sheila and Phil built a new house right beside their current one.
With Phil gone so much and money coming in sporadically, she went back to work at the hospital as an LPN.
She worked at the Stettler Hospital and Care Centre from Mar. 12, 1981 until her retirement on May 26, 2006.
She raised her four children on her own and eventually divorced Phil.
She never remarried, preferring to concentrate on providing for her kids.
Sheila had a love for gardening and spent most of the time from spring to late fall tending her yard.
She also liked doing crafts with the kids, and she collected rocks, stamps and spoons.
Sheila is survived by her children, Christine (Dave) Pinter of Rosedale; Connie Belisle of Fenn; Carla (Dan) Tuck of Gadsby; Michael Gelinas of Stettler and her grandchildren Hudson, Claudia, VJ and Roland.
She is also survived by her siblings Carol Tyndall of Ponoka, Marilyn Stewart of Maidstone, Sask., Sam Allison of Rimbey, Clarence Allison of North Battleford, Sask. and Elsie Martin of Devon.
She was predeceased by her parents Doc and Cora, siblings George, Eva, Hazel, Edna, Darlene and Karen and granddaughter Alexandria.
She was buried in the Lakeview Cemetery in Stettler and as per her wishes, there was no service.
Her children will be holding a come and go celebration for Sheila’s friends and family on what would have been her 76th birthday, April 10, Good Friday, at her home just outside Stettler from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Please no food or flowers, just stories, memories, laughter and tears.
Donations in Sheila’s memory can be made to STARS, the Stettler Community Orchard or The Stettler Hospital and Care Centre.
