Obituary of Sheila Louise Petersen

After a short illness Shelia Louise Petersen died on June 5, 2018. She was 69 years old.

Sheila was born in Easton, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1948 to Arthur Louis Sabo and Esther Frances Norenberg. She was the oldest of three children followed by Audrey and Doug.  Her father’s work moved the family to Long Island, New York where she graduated from Paul Schreiber Senior High School in Port Washington.  She graduated from the State University of New York at Courtland with a B.A. in Education.

Sheila loved to travel and served as a flight attendant for Saturn Airways.  Her greatest talent was as a salesperson for educational books with Pearson Longman ELT.  She excelled at this occupation as she loved to read.  As a child, she was fond of the Nancy Drew stories and would read and re-read these stories.  As an adult, Sheila would regularly read 20 books a week.  Local libraries knew her on a first name basis. Later in her career she specialized in English as a Second Language books (ESL). She was a top-notch sales person for education books and won two national sales awards during her career.

Sheila and her family have lived in Herndon, Virginia for the last 30 years, where all were welcomed.  She loved animals, and over the years she shared her home with dozens of dogs, cats, and even a love bird named “Peachy.” The family pets, dogs Sadie and Izzy, and cats, Rocky and Tascha, comforted her during her recent illness.

She also loved to bake and was an excellent cook. She was very generous with her time and talents.  When asked to bring one baked item she would show-up with 3 or 4! Sheila also loved to fish, even though she never eat fish. She taught many kids and adults how to catch, prepare, and cook what they caught.

Sheila’s greatest pride and joy are her three children: Brent (spouse Melisa Berger), Virginia; Brittany, Alabama; and Scott (significant other Min Pin), Virginia. Her sister Audrey, Maryland and Douglas (wife Moira), New York. In-laws include Elaine Petersen; John and Chipper Whalan; Frank and Wanda Higgins, all of Virginia. She has numerous nieces and nephews and grandnieces and nephews.

Her parents Arthur Louis and Esther Sabo and her husband Louis Petersen preceded her in death.

The family will be having a memorial service in the memory of Sheila on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 4:00 PM at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Pastor Margrethe Keliber will officiate. Interment of the urn will be held at a later date at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon, VA.