Sheila Ward Cane, 81, died peacefully at the Arbors in Shelburne on the evening of May 28, 2023. She was born in Phillipsburg, N.J., on July 10, 1941, to Dr. John and Elizabeth (Maher) Cane. She was educated at Saints Philip and James Parochial School in Phillipsburg; Mount Saint Mary’s Academy in Plainfield, N.J.; and St. Elizabeth’s Academy in Morristown, N.J. She spent 10 summers at her beloved Camp Tegawitha in Tobyhanna, Pa., where she was first a camper, then a counselor-in-training and finally a counselor.
Sheila earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Marymount College in Tarrytown, N.Y., and her master’s degree in social work at Fordham University in New York City.
Sheila lived in several neighborhoods in New York City during her working career. Her first job was with “Ma Bell,” but she soon moved on to a long career in social services. Her niche was employee assistance programming. Sheila was in the vanguard of employee assistance for the employees of the City of New York. She became the program director and supervised caseworkers who helped many city workers. She moved to Rowayton, Ct., and became a Metro North commuter to her work in Manhattan. Rules changed, and she was required to maintain a residence in New York, so she and her parents bought an efficiency apartment on Gramercy Park. Sheila lived there during the week, and her father and mother would stay in the apartment to enjoy weekends in New York. It was a win-win for everyone!
In 1991, Sheila moved full time to Rowayton and worked in employee assistance programming at Family Services Woodfield in Bridgeport, Ct. She also had a private practice that contracted with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to do mandatory drug screening for commercial truck drivers and heavy equipment operators.
Sheila retired in 2001 and moved seasonally to Vero Beach, Fla., in the winter and South Burlington, Vt., in the summer. The first 15 years of retirement were her “golden years.” She made many friends in Vero Beach and led a very active life playing duplicate bridge, bocce with the Bocce Babes team, and hosting gatherings in her home and at her club. Living in Vero Beach was also about giving back. Sheila was an active participant in the community outreach programs at the Grand Harbor Club and Holy Cross parish. She enjoyed summers in Vermont with her family and longtime friends. Vermont was a launching pad as she visited friends throughout the Northeast each summer. Her family teased that her South Burlington condo was simply a place to store her mother’s antiques. Every summer for more than 40 years, she spent time on Block Island, R.I. Block Island, with its beauty and serenity, was probably Sheila’s favorite place.
Sheila was a singular presence and larger than life. She made that impression on people from an early age. She will be missed.
Sheila was predeceased by her parents, Dr. John and Elizabeth Cane. She is survived by her brother, John J. Cane, and his wife, Vicki A. Knoepfel, of Burlington, Vt.; her nieces, Charlotte Cane of Brighton, Mass., and Catherine Cane of Burlington; her nephew, Andrew Cane of Quincy, Mass.; her paternal Cane cousins of Rosemont, N.J., and Moyer cousins in West Chester, Pa., the New Jersey Shore and Massachusetts; and her maternal Cannon, Secord and Welch cousins in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Sheila’s family thanks all the staff at the Arbors in Shelburne for their wonderful care and concern during her eight-month stay; the staff on the cardiology unit on Miller 4 at the University of Vermont Medical Center for their care during her recent stay; the University of Vermont Medical Center’s outpatient practices in cardiology and dermatology, who warmly welcomed Sheila as a new patient; and her caregiver and longtime friend Janee Morchesky, whose loving care enabled Sheila to live in her Vero Beach home in recent years. Sheila’s forever friends Ann Charron and Peggy Zeman were with her and her family during her last hours at the Arbors. Bunny Barry, another forever friend, was with her in spirit from her home in Florida.
A funeral mass will be celebrated for Sheila on Saturday, July 1, 11 a.m., at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 72 Church St., Shelburne, VT, followed by a reception in the parish hall. The mass will be streamed at youtube.com/@stcatherinevt/streams.
Contributions in Sheila’s memory may be made to the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program, PO Box 644017, Vero Beach, FL 32964, or to the Block Island Medical Center, PO Box 919, Block Island, RI 02807.
Arrangements are in care of the Cremation Society of Chittenden County in Burlington, Vt. To send online condolences to her family, please visit cremationsocietycc.com.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2023.