Sheila C (Wilthew) Burg

Sheila Colleen Burg passed away at home on Sunday, June 17, 2018.   She was born in the winter of 1931 in Oklahoma.  She was predeceased by her father Gerald Wilthew, her mother Mildred Patricia Tankersley, and her sister Patricia Smith.  Sheila is survived by her loving husband of 49 years Richard J. Burg; son Ronald Skufca, Jr.; daughters Tonya Skufca, Sheila Hitchens (Danny), Suzanne Linehan (Scott), and August Pohorily-Ferrara; stepson Gregory Burg (Elaine); grandchildren Michael Bass (Debbie), Laura Timney (Jeremy), Sarah Olson (Shane), Brenton Skufca (Rosie), Nicole Ferrara, Zachary Ferrara, Shannon Ferrara, Julianna Hitchens, Erin Pudlo (Paul), Colleen Grizzel (Sean), and April Burg; great-grandchildren Thomas Bass, Keara Cottrell (John), Sienna Bass, Daisy Timney, Savannah Timney, Elin Pudlo, Lily Grizzel; and great-great-grandchild Payton Cottrell.

Sheila’s first priority was her husband and family whom she loved without limits and were her happiness in life.  Her pets were also her family; Sandy, Cocoa, and Angel brought so much joy into her life, as did precious little Poppy who never failed to keep her company while watching her shows.  Sheila was kind-hearted and generous and always collected items for the Veteran’s Hospital and her neighbor’s church and donated to many worthy causes with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital being her favorite.  She had many friends including those she met through the Elks, Red Hats, bowling, and Bunco, and she made a friend in everyone she met.

In her early years, Sheila lived in Ohio, Washington, and then settled in California; she moved back east in 1962.  As a young woman in California, she was on a volley-tennis team, and she has enjoyed bowling on a league for the past 50 years.

Sheila was always a hard worker and began working as a car hop and waitress in her early teens.  She was also an excellent Sarah Coventry hostess and Avon representative.  She was a devoted bus aide for special needs children for over 20 years before retiring.

Sheila had the most wonderful imagination and told stories to her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.  She was very artistic and included a doodle in every greeting card or note she gave and any piece of paper she found in front of her.  Sheila made a magic hankie bonnet for every new baby that came along and crocheted a cape for each of her grandkids.  In her early thirties, she dabbled in writing, had a poem published, and met the current poet laureate.  Sheila was an avid reader and always said “when you have a book, you have a friend.”  She discovered the public library at an early age and was thrilled that she could borrow any book she wanted to.  She took a book with her everywhere she went and pulled it out with any spare minutes she had. 

Sheila loved to travel and she and Richard often went on trips with their family and friends.  They went on several cruises and attended the Elks convention every year.  Her favorite places to go were New Orleans, Hawaii, and Disney World.  She loved to go to the movies and would see anything that came out and would even go by herself if she couldn’t find someone to go with her.  She loved to work in the yard and took such pride in her beautiful flowers.  She would ask anyone that came over to take a tour of the yard to see her flowers.  She also had quite a green thumb for indoor plants and nurtured her treasured violets and other plants.  Sheila loved to play cards like Spite Malice and Pinochle and also loved board games.  She and Richard enjoyed playing Farkle and had nightly competitions.  She also loved to work on jigsaw puzzles and almost always had a puzzle in progress on the card table in the back room.  She was a wonderful cook who was famous for her delicious potato salad, spaghetti sauce, and her homemade Italian dressing.  She was a loyal Phillies and Eagles fan and loved to cheer the teams on.  She was very active in the Lady Elks of Newark, Lodge #2281 for many years and participated in the yearly talent show, Christmas Bazaar, and shuffleboard tournaments – she and Richard even won first place one year.  She was also a past President of the Lady Elks Auxiliary.

Sheila was always young at heart and instilled that in all of her children and grandchildren.  She found joy in every little thing and made the world a brighter and better place.  She will always be loved and will be missed by many.

A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 9 am at Beeson Funeral Home, 2053 Pulaski Highway, Newark, DE 19702. The Visitation will take place on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 from 6 to 8 pm at the funeral home. The Committal Service will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 11 am at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear, DE.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at 1-800-822-6344 or www.stjude.org

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