Sheila Harper Tappin

We are sad to announce that Sheila Tappin died peacefully in Huntsville’s Algonquin Grace Hospice on the morning of June 3rd, 2022. Sheila was predeceased by her husband of over sixty-eight years Graham Tappin (died 2020) and by her parents Alexander Falconer and Grace Falconer (nee Dickie); her sisters Edith Day, Elizabeth Ross, Grace McCowatt and Margaret Falconer (who died as an infant); her brothers-in-law Basil Day, Robert McCowatt, and David Tappin; her sister-in-law Hilary Tappin; her niece Roweena Hanson-Abbott; and her youngest son Nigel Tappin (died 2016). Sheila is survived by her eldest son Stephen Tappin (Pamela Morgan) who lives in England and, her daughter Sheena Tappin of Huntsville. Left to mourn her are her grandsons: Alexander Tappin (Alina Ianovskaia) of North Vancouver, Karl Tappin (Amber) of Keswick; and, Alex Morgan of Ottawa. She will be dearly missed by her adored great-granddaughters Etella Tappin and Silva Tappin who were the lights of her life. Sheila also leaves behind four nieces in England: Patricia Liddell (Martin); Fiona Moore (Michael); Vanessa Moriarty; and, Sandra Townsend (Paul) along with numerous cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews and friends. Also left behind is her niece Moira Smith (Michael) in South Africa. Sheila will be missed by her close friend of almost fifty years Lorraine Weatherell.

Sheila was born in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to London, England at the start of the Second World War when she was eleven years old. It was in London while working as a secretary that she met Graham and they were married on June 28th, 1952. Sheila and Graham later relocated to Wadhurst in East Sussex where they lived in half a converted stage coach inn and Sheila had a small wool shop at the front. In the shop apart from the normal wool and knitting patterns, needles, etc. she also stocked baby formula, baby clothes and children’s clothes as no other shop in the village stocked these items at the time. In April of 1966 they moved to Glasgow in Scotland briefly before emigrating to Canada with their three children at the end of 1966. In Canada they settled in Toronto where she worked for a few months in food services for the North York Board of Education before taking a job in the purchasing department of Canadian Library Supplies. Graham and Sheila moved to Dorset in 1974 where she worked in the administration department of a local manufacturer. In 1984, Graham and Sheila moved back to Toronto where Sheila took a job in the head office of W. H. Smith and she worked there until retiring to Dwight a decade later. A few years after retiring they moved to Cliff Avenue in Huntsville where they lived until June of 2018 when they made their final move to Rogers Cove Retirement Home in Huntsville.

Sheila sat as a volunteer on the board of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare for one term soon after retiring. For the last fourteen years she fought a courageous battle with cancer before finally succumbing to it. Cremation has already taken place and, as per Sheila’s wishes, there will be no funeral service or celebration of life at this time. Our thanks to the management and staff at Levante Living Rogers Cove for their care and support of Sheila. We would also like to express our infinite gratitude to Sheila’s Family Doctor, Robert Whaley, for the unsurpassed care he has provided to her over the years and for his many house calls. Our thanks to Doctor Malcolm Wilson who co-ordinated her care with the oncologist in Toronto and also monitored her pacemaker annually (even when semi-retired). We are grateful for the support of April Clement and the local LIN; of Suzanne Hall and all the Closing the Gap ladies; of Megan, Ashley and all the other Paramount Care nurses; of her two amazingly devoted private care givers Angie and Tabitha; and, last but not least, to Norma and the wonderful staff and volunteers at Huntsville Hospice who worked so hard to make Sheila’s final two weeks as comfortable as possible.

.