Sheila Prescott

Sheila Charlotte (Black) Prescott, born on January 12, 1938 near Brussels, Ontario, passed away peacefully at the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Ontario early on the morning of June 15th, 2023.

Sheila was the daughter of Joseph Douglas and Annie Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Black, who predeceased her.  Sheila was married to Brian Prescott, son of Thomas and Jane Elizabeth (Kirby) Prescott on August 20, 1960 in Brussels, Ontario. They were happily married for over 54 years until Brian's death in February 2015. She is survived by their four sons Douglas Mark, Thomas Paul (Daryll Fogal), Brian Peter (Sabreen Mustaq), and Kenneth David. She is also survived by her granddaughter Charlotte (daughter of Peter and Susan Bell), grandsons Esa and Ayaan (sons of Peter and Sabreen), and grandsons Ben (Cas Dickau) and Andrew (sons of Paul and Daryll). Sheila also has three great-grandsons: Jace, Lochlan and Ronan (sons of Ben and Cas).

Sheila is survived by her brothers Wally and Bob Black, Wally’s wife (and Brian’s sister) Valerie and her late brother Laurie’s wife Margaret. She was predeceased by her brothers Laurie and Donald Black and her sister-in-law Anita, wife of her brother Bob.  Sheila is also survived by her brothers-in-law Eric and Vernon Prescott and sisters-in-law Jean Prescott (wife of the late Cyril Prescott) and Shirley Prescott (wife of the late Trevor Joseph Prescott).

She was predeceased by her parents-in-law, her brothers-in-law Roy, Cyril and Trevor Joseph Prescott and her sisters-in-law Hang (married to Roy) and Vernice (married to Eric). She is also survived by several cousins as well as many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and many friends and associates.

Sheila was foremost a mother who loved and nurtured her sons and a loving, faithful and devoted wife to Brian. As parents they sacrificed time, talent, and treasure to raise their sons up to adulthood and to support them throughout their lives.

Sheila was also a great teacher who leaves a lasting impact on decades of elementary school students. She first taught in one-room school houses in southwestern Ontario while completing teacher’s college in Stratford, Ontario in the mid- to late-1950s. After she married Brian, she taught at Victoria School in Kitchener, Ontario while he completed an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo. After Brian graduated and began work with the federal government in the spring of 1965, Sheila left teaching full-time to give birth to and raise her sons. After Brian left the federal government they purchased a dairy farm near Alfred, Ontario in 1974. Sheila returned to full-time teaching in 1976 at the then newly-opened Plantagenet Public School. She taught there until she retired in June 1999. Sheila loved her students and enjoyed keeping in contact with them in her later years.

Sheila completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Ottawa in the early 1990s through night, weekend, and summer courses taken over a period of at least ten years while teaching full time and caring for her family.

Sheila’s family wish to thank the staff of the Windsor Regional Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital for their care of her during the last weeks of her life.

Sheila has been cremated.

A celebration of her life will be held in Brussels, Ontario at Melville Presbyterian Church (55 Dunedin Dr.) on Saturday July 29th with visitation at 10 am followed by the funeral service at 11 am. The service will be live-streamed for those that are unable to attend in person at https://www.facebook.com/RiversideFuneralHomeInc.

Interment in Brussels Cemetery.

Those who wish to make a donation in Sheila’s name may do so to the Red Cross.

Condolences may be left at riversidefuneralhome.ca