Sheila Ann Jardine

Sheila Ann Jardine (80), our loving and caring mother, passed away on December 12, 2019. Sheila was born in a small town, on the southern shore of Lake Superior, Wisconsin, to Dale and Esther Vandervort in 1939. She was educated in various small towns in northern Wisconsin. Her favorite school was on the reservation of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Her mother was a teacher there and Sheila spent her 3rd and 4th grades living and learning on the reservation. Sheila graduated from South Shore High School, in Port Wing, Wisconsin. It was at South Shore High School that she met and married the love of her life, Albert (Abby) Jardine, on December 31, 1960. Abby was career Air Force and they spent many years moving across the country and living abroad. They lived four years in Italy which was the most exciting location of their military experience. They retired in Boise, Idaho, in 1977. It was during her years in Italy that Sheila took a solo train trip from northern Italy, across Yugoslavia, to reach Thessaloniki, Greece, where Abby was temporarily stationed. These were Cold War years and an American woman traveling solo across a Soviet-bloc country was unusual. Her faith in humanity was re-enforced on numerous occasions, through the kindnesses of strangers, as they helped her safely navigate her journey. Sheila and Abby were blessed with four children. Their children and family were the focus of their years together. Abby passed away in 1984 and the loss of her husband at an early age was the single most traumatic experience of her life. Sheila worked a variety of different jobs throughout the years but her heart focused on helping others through volunteering for Girl Scouts, school and church activities, and various grief support and personal growth programs. Her desire to help extended to her family through clipped-out articles about parenting, places to visit, investing tips, Reader’s Digest jokes, and inspirational phrases/stories. She loved to play cards, polka dance, and was always open to new experiences. To strengthen and deepen her faith, Sheila traveled to a variety of Catholic pilgrimage sites including Medugorje, Bosnia/Herzegovina, and Betania, Venezuela. She also volunteered in New Orleans to assist with the Katrina-hurricane efforts in 2005. Sheila is preceded in death by her beloved husband, her loving parents, her young brother (Dean) who died at 5 years of age, and her loved sister (Joan). Sheila’s family was most important to her and at the heart of everything she did. She is survived by her daughters, Dena (Lee) and Toni (Todd), and sons Wayne (Bertha) and Danny. Sheila has 10 cherished grandchildren: Mykayla, Damon, Ben, McKenna, Grace, Jay, Devin, Caleb, Titan, and Hayden. She was fortunate to have three great-grandchildren: Braxtyn, Raegan, and Adalyn. Sheila is survived by her loving sister, Judy Bergman (twin to Joan), an extra special sister-in-law, Anne Stronach, and her much-loved dachshund, Snickers. Private family services have been held. Sheila will join Abby in their final resting place in Boise, Idaho. Please consider memorial contributions in lieu of flowers. To honor Abby’s contributions to our veterans’ community, memorial donations may be shared with the Albert W. Jardine, Unit 22, Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary (Boise, Idaho). To recognize and acknowledge our community’s most vulnerable members, memorial donations may be shared with the Food Bank of Larimer County or Catholic Charities of Larimer County. Sheila’s family extends sincere thanks to all of the people that supported her in her journey with Parkinson’s, with special appreciation to her family and long-standing friends. Your loyalty, time, and effort are greatly appreciated.