RIMMER, Sheila Wighton
September 3, 1931 to March 30, 2017
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sheila Rimmer, our dear mother and the heart of our family. Mum was warm,loving and generous and was always there to offer encouragement and support through all that life brings. Her fun, outgoing personality allowed her to make friends wherever she went. Sheila was born in Liverpool, England on September 3, 1931 to Frank and Elsie Smith and was part of a close-knit extended family. During WWII, she and her sister Judy were evacuated to a small village in North Wales along with her grandmother and two aunts. She returned to Liverpool after the war, where she later met and married William (Bill) Rimmer on March 2, 1954. The day after their marriage, Mum and Dad boarded a ship to Canada and began a life of adventure. They settled in Calgary long enough for their three children (Bill, Carol, and Cate) to be born before traveling the world, living for years in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. Returning to Calgary in the early 70s, Mum had a career teaching English and ESL in Calgary until she and Dad retired to the Sunshine Coast. In 2014, shortly after celebrating their 60th anniversary, Dad succumbed to cancer and Mum then moved to White Rock/South Surrey where she made a life for herself full of friends and activities. Mum was an avid reader and life-long learner with an interest in a broad range of subjects from the practical to the obscure. Few could beat her at Scrabble although if you were one of her grandchildren she’d somehow lose at that and any other game. Her family and her dogs were the centre of her world just as she was the centre of ours. At 85, Mum was full of energy and youthfulness - she even had a paper route with her friend Penny for exercise and a bit of fun. For this reason, it was a great shock to all when she started to feel unwell towards at the end of February and was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer that progressed rapidly until her passing in late March. Left to grieve are her children Bill (Sandy), Carol (Richard), and Cate, her grandchildren Will (Lydia), Ben, Lydia, Ryan (Kori), Jeremy, great grandson Carter, and her four-legged companion Eddy. She is also survived by her sister Judy, and extended family in Scotland and England. As per her wishes there will be no service but donations can be made in her name to the BCSPCA, the BC Cancer Agency, or VGH Palliative Care.