- Date Of Birth: April 5, 1955
- Date Of Death: April 13, 2014
- State: Maine
Sheliah Shanahan died on April 13,2014 at home surrounded by family and friends after a courageous battle with cancer.
Sheliah was born in Westbrook, Maine on April 5,1955. She grew up in Gorham and graduated from Gorham High School in 1973.
Her dear friends from high school remained her lifelong friends.
In 1994, she married the love of her life, her husband Sean and they built a life together with their family in Raymond.
Sheliah worked in residential care including at the former Pineland Center, where families complimented the care she gave.
Sheilah’s passion was gardening. She had a long career at Skillin’s Greenhouse in Falmouth where she worked with many dear friends and customers.
Sheliah was considered a genius when it came to gardening. She had more than a green thumb, she had a neon green thumb. At her home in Raymond she created a wonderland of plants and trees. Her garden was more like a park, and so beautiful it was the center for many celebrations including one of her son’s marriage.
Sheliah loved the Spring as it was the time of year to meet again the many birds she fed and befriended in her garden. She would spend hours in her garden caring for plants, and took pride in her skill to revitalize plants thought gone, as well as the physical strength she possessed. She was a marvel. She loved nature, even the occasional bears that would wander into her garden as she worked away.
Sheliah had a passion for animals and in particular her dogs, an assortment of Rottweilers. She was partial to her beloved dog Coda, whose presence she always felt with her.
Sheliah with her golden hair, sparkling blue eyes and wondrous laugh would light up a room. Her curiosity ran the gamut from politics to genealogy to UFOs. She once said she could trace her genealogy back to Jesus. She loved a good conversation with opposing opinions, and each discussion would end with laughter and hugs. Sheliah was pure joy to be around.
Sheliah is survived by her loving husband Sean, daughter Athena, sons Justin and Josh and their wives Danielle and Jennifer, grandchildren Sean, Bryan and Aspen, Aspen’s mom Misty, mother Cleo Sanborn and her stepfather Dick, father Dana Ryder and her stepmother Nancy, sisters Sherry, Erin, Wanda and brothers Lawrence, Duke and their spouses, many stepbrothers, stepsisters, cousins, sister and brother in-laws, nieces and nephews, and many friends, including her best friends Mary and John who took care of her during her illness.
Sheilah joins her dear friend Donnie and beloved dog Coda in a new beginning, a new Spring.
