Sheila White's Obituary
Sheila Yvonne White (née Narine) was born to Irene Narine in New Amsterdam, Guyana, on
December 18th, 1940. She had three natural siblings: Raymond, Doreen, and Barbara.
In her infancy, Sheila was adopted by another Irene, Irene Haynes. She gained several siblings in the process, with whom she would remain close for the rest of her life: Doreen Thom, Leon Haynes, Noel Haynes, Carole Charles, Edna Haynes, Winston Haynes, Paul Deflormont, Edna Mahase, Yvonne Porter, Jean Denny, Doreen McPherson, and Edna McPherson. Edna McPherson would give Sheila her surname, giving her yet another sibling, Edna's son Michael.
Later in life, as these siblings themselves went on to start their own families, she would gain still more family members-among them Myrtle Haynes, who, along with Carole Charles, very attentively cared for her until her passing, and Winston Thom, who walked her down the aisle at her wedding.
In her youth, Sheila was known for her beauty and grace and was named Miss New Amsterdam. At 24, she met the man she would marry and start her family with, Robert White. Sheila and Robert began their life as a couple in New Amsterdam and eventually had four children together:Cameil, Kathy, Reginald, and Gregory. They enjoyed a carefree, loving life as a young family in New Amsterdam for a number of years. Sheila also developed a very close bond with her late mother-in-law, as well as Robert's sisters, Amy and Clarissa. Sheila continued through life to have a special connection with Amy. In 1975, the family left Guyana for Senegal, where Robert received a promotion in the sugar industry. Sheila would spend the next several years moving between Senegal, the United Kingdom (where her children were in school), and the Gambia, spreading herself thin trying to balance her intense devotion to her husband and her motherly duties which stemmed from her great love for her children.
During this period of her life, she developed a reputation as an exceptional entertainer and a chef whose dishes achieved a degree of local fame wherever she went. She truly loved seeing people happy and strove to transmit her own joie de vivre to her guests through the (always excessive but never unappreciated) food, drinks, music, and dancing that were staples of the parties she hosted. Wherever she went, she was an amazing ambassador for her native country-the embodiment of all the joy, humour, and beauty that characterise Guyana. She indirectly taught everybody she met to love Guyana as they came to love her personality. Sheila loved plants and flowers (red roses in particular) and could often be found walking around her garden with her hands in the dirt or admiring the fruits of her labor. She had a green thumb, and could nurse even the saddest plant back to life. She often told her children, "You have to talk to them; don't forget." She shared this deep understanding and a lifelong love of gardening with her husband. Sheila's nurturing nature also extended to animals. Wherever she lived, if she could adopt an animal, she would. She would wash, clean, and take care of any animal in need that she happened upon. She took in dogs, cats, monkeys and birds. Amongst these, she had a special connection to cats. Her love for plants and animals brought out the nurturing spirit that defined her.
Throughout her life, Sheila would make many lifelong friends, all of whom she would remain
very close with and loyal to until her passing, even though they often lived in different countries or continents. Lillette Grimmond, Lucia Binda, Fatou Sumner, Shirley Anderson, and Janice Kagbo, whose daughter Sentho was like a third daughter to Sheila and eventually becoming her daughter-in-law, were among these.
As the family expanded, Sheila particularly developed a loving, but playful relationship with her son-in-law, Mark Moorman, who was instrumental in Robert and Sheila's retirement plans to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and after Robert's passing, Mark was a steadfast support to Sheila and the family. Eventually, when Robert retired, the couple would move to America to be closer to their children and growing number of grandchildren. Sheila was an affectionate grandmother and loved each of her grandchildren fully and deeply. She never missed an opportunity to share her wisdom and bestow a valuable learning lesson. She was elegant, principled, and held her head high. She loved to host family gatherings, all of which included generous amounts of delicious food and drink. In the summers, she would make ice cream from scratch (her grandchildren's favourite).
She would spend hours and days making her own Sorrel, Ginger Beer, and black cake for
holidays. Her patties and chow mein became the talk of school bake sales and were always the first to sell out. She had an instinctual knack for cooking, and never needed to write down or use recipes.
As she got older, before she left the US, her family and friends, Janice, Molly, Janet, Dorothea, David, Lorris, Marcus, and Michelle were instrumental in assuring her comfort and joy. In their own ways, each of them would engage Sheila in deep conversations about Guyana and talk about the friends and family they left behind. They would discuss their culture and customs, and laugh about memorable events, proverbs, and jokes. Sheila always loved talking about Guyana, and frequently told her children about her many happy childhood memories. For this and all the great moments of care and joy, we would like to personally thank these family and friends.
Towards the end of her life, Sheila returned to Guyana, where she spent the rest of
her days surrounded by her beloved sisters and family. Among these, her sisters Carole, Myrtle, Doreen, and Edna, as well as her nieces Brittney, Mariska, and Danique played an especially important role in her later life as they went above and beyond to care for her in the face of her declining health. Sheila loved children, and Danique's presence in the home brought her a lot of happiness and laughter during her illness.
As a family, we would like to voice our profound gratitude toward them for the immense efforts they made over the course of the past few years toward making Sheila happy and comfortable. They brought so much warmth and love into her life in its later stages, and the importance of their attentive care to her cannot be overstated.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, a charitable contribution be made in the name of Sheila White to Union United Methodist Church at P.O. Box 978, St. Michaels, Maryland, 21663.
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