Sheila J. O’Leary Simard, 80, of Vero Beach, passed away in Sept. 8, 2016, after a decades-long battle with lung cancer.
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Roland R. Simard; and children Audree (Peter) Lezniewicz of Fort Pierce, Michelle (Martin) Steinberg of Sammamish, Wash., and Roland R. Simard II (Patricia Mayhew) of St. Marys, Ga.; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her 15-year-old son Pierre Joseph in 1987 and her 15-year-old grandson Peter J. Steinberg in 2002.
Simard was born in Manchester, N.H. on Oct. 8, 1935. She was a 1956 graduate of the Elliot Hospital School of Nursing, Manchester, N.H. She spent a long and rewarding career in nursing, finishing her career as a public health nurse for St. Lucie County in Fort Pierce. She retired in 1999.
She was one of the first people selected to carry the Olympic torch in St. Lucie County for the 1996 Atlanta games. She and her husband Roland worked fostering young monkeys for Helping Hands Simian Aides For The Disabled organization of Tufts University in Boston. In her free time, she enjoyed reading, swimming, and spending time with family. In her younger years, she enjoyed motorcycling, boating and camping with her husband.
In lieu of services please make a donation in her name to The Vero Beach Hospice House, The American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society.
