SHEILA IRELAND

The ever charming, most compassionate Sheila Ireland left this "vale of tears" to rejoin her beloved Darrell on August 12th, 2012, leaving her devoted "darlings"—daughters Sharon Ireland-Burke and Tanya Ireland, her wonderful son-in-law Don Burke, and numerous friends and family to mourn her loss.

Sheila was born July 13th, 1927 to Hilda and Tom Kalaher in the Rotherhithe area of London, England. During WWII, Sheila and her younger sister were evacuated to the English countryside for a time during the bombing of London. They endured rationing and food shortages and eventually, the family had to leave their home after the war as the community was so badly damaged by the Germans' blitz. Their new home in Mottingham, on the Kent border with London was small but very comfortable and filled with much love.

Although Sheila was not interested in "the Yanks", she met Darrell when he was stationed in England and they married in 1955. They spent the next 53 years together travelling the world as a US Air Force family—with assignments in Germany, Michigan, Brazil, South Carolina, Illinois, England and finally retiring from Vandenberg AFB, making Lompoc their final home in 1979. Sheila worked for 27 years as a telephone operator/security receptionist at Lockheed-Martin at the base—a job she loved so much, she did not leave until laid off at age 79, finally retiring permanently at age 80.

In the last few years of her life, although she was struggling with low vision due to macular degeneration, Sheila continued to love her Lompoc house and garden until moving just a month ago to a beautiful apartment at Merrill Gardens Assisted Living in Santa Maria, near daughter Sharon. She was just beginning to enjoy her new community when she was suddenly taken from us by a heart condition.

Sheila's life will be celebrated at Starbuck-Lind Mortuary at 123 North A Street in Lompoc at 1 pm on Friday, August 24th. Following the ceremony, a private 'family-only' interment of cremains will be held at Lompoc Cemetery, after which the family will join the rest of the mourners for a BBQ reception at the Veterans' Memorial Building in Lompoc.
Suggested memorial contributions honoring Sheila's interests are: The Democratic National Committee and The Foundation Fighting Blindness.