SHEILA MAUREEN LUGTIG (nee HASSELL) December 22, 1932 - March 25, 2014 On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at Victoria General Hospital, Sheila died peacefully of cancer at age 81. She is survived and will be missed by her children Susan, Joni, Sarah and Orest; by her grandchildren Daniel, Tanya, Noel, Tobin and Yuki; and by her great-grandchildren Nicholas, Jack, Shannon and Luke. She will also be lovingly remembered by her many cousins, nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews across Canada. Sheila was predeceased by her daughter Lisa (2003) and husband Don (2007). She was also predeceased by her parents William and Louisa, and by her siblings Eileen, Alan, Jacqueline and Joy. Born in Burnaby, British Columbia, Sheila grew up in Vancouver. She was only 10 years old when her own mother passed away from cancer. This was a very difficult time for her as a child, but ultimately the experience strengthened Sheila's belief in the importance of family. She kept this core value close to her heart all her life. Sheila had a great sense of humour and loved to make people laugh. As a young woman, she would often switch places with her identical twin sister Jacquie, and no one would be the wiser. Jacquie and "Jill" (as Sheila was known then) were indistinguishable from each other, something the twins took full advantage of. It was in 1953 when Shelley (as she was know through most of her life), working as a meteorologist in the Air Force, met Don - the love of her life. Six months later they were married, and together they raised four beautiful daughters whom Sheila loved more than anything. She was very proud of all her daughters' accomplishments and supported them with words of love and encouragement throughout their lives. Sheila loved children. She doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and was always so happy to spend time with them. She passed on her love of music and the arts to them, taking them to Concerts for Kids at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Rainbow Stage and enrolling them in art classes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Classical music was a lifelong passion for Sheila. A WSO season ticket holder for more than 30 years, she loved nothing more than to attend concerts, recitals, the opera and music festivals across the country. She especially loved to watch her daughter Sarah perform at flute recitals and was deeply invested in the Winnipeg arts community. She was a master bridge player, having been taught the game by her father, and helped found the Selkirk Duplicate Bridge Club. She was a talented and effective bridge teacher, working out of the Tuxedo Bridge Studio well into her seventies. She was a voracious reader and a self-taught knowledgeable person on so many subjects. She was an artist as a younger woman and spent many hours by the lake painting. She was a seamstress and meticulous in her work. She sewed many wedding dresses, wedding quilts and baby quilts over the years for her many precious family members. Sheila loved antiques and collected many beautiful pieces and with that came a love for home decor. She reupholstered furniture, painted, wallpapered - you name it, she did it. She was a great hostess and loved to entertain; of special note were the Christmas family gatherings at Selkirk with multi-generations playing charades and loving it! Until recently, Sheila hosted the family Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter dinners at her condo on Lilac St. Sheila loved to travel, and went to BC and Alberta every year to visit her sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews. Every summer she would travel to Ottawa for the annual Chamber Music Festival. She flew to the Caribbean with a friend, took a road trip to Texas, and in 2012 she travelled to Japan for her youngest grandson Tobin's wedding. Sheila's family would like to extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Singer (family), Dr. Rabson (cardiologist) and Dr. Taraska (respirologist) for their care and expertise during the last few months of her life. As well, special thanks to Dr. Thorlakson, Dr. Penner, Dr. Young, and the dedicated nurses and health care workers on 5 North at Victoria General Hospital. A memorial service will be held at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue on Tuesday, April 1 at 10:00 a.m. Please allow time for parking. In lieu of flowers, please consider giving of your time, resources or talents to an organization of your choosing that benefits children and/or the arts.