It is with profound sadness that Eric (Anna Tessier-Lavigne), Marc (Mary Hynes), Bianca (Wolfgang Steigberger) and their children Finn, Niall, Christian, Kyle, Ella and Lucas announce the passing of their mother and grandmother Sheila Tessier-Lavigne, widow of Yves-Jacques Tessier-Lavigne, on September 17th, 2017, at peace and in tranquility.
Born in Three Hills, Alta, Sheila’s travel bug would start at a tender age, in Yellowknife, NWT, and this passion would lead her to join the RCAF, where she was honoured as the youngest flying officer in Canada and the USA at the time. As she became a home-maker, her passion for travelling, her insatiable curiosity for the arts, notably literature, history, the fine arts, drama and music, would dictate her pursuits in life, and these she would share with gusto with family and friends alike. She graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Maryland in 1985 and then applied her passion and knowledge of the arts to editing and translating exquisite books of art, which provided her the opportunity to share her remarkable mind and love of all things beautiful with the world. As her health was ailing, she would not be denied her travels, wines and cheeses of the world, or the joyful merriment of music. Till the end she pursued her lively and incisive conversations with her family and the many friends who visited her during the last two months.
Cremation took place on September 20th 2017. A celebration of Sheila’s life will be held on Thursday October 19th (also her birthday) from 1pm to 4 pm at Beechwood, Funeral Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 ave. Beechwood, Ottawa, Ont., in the National Cemetery of the Canadian Forces.If desired, donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Heifer International “Give the gift of a water buffalo” programme. Visit www.heifer.org