Sheila Harrison Dunlop
January 21, 1950 – August 25, 2022
Sheila Harrison Dunlop, long time board member and secretary of the South Armour Heights Residents’ Association, passed away on August 25 after a three-month battle against illness.
Sheila was the heart and the soul of SAHRA for over 18 years. She had a vision of a liveable neighbourhood and was the driving force of SAHRA’s efforts towards the many issues we faced on your behalf.
In addition to the usual secretary responsibilities of taking minutes of Board meetings and AGM’s, Sheila kept the other board members and volunteers informed regarding all aspects of SAHRA’s mandate.
Sheila also contributed to many other Resident Associations and their umbrella organizations. She generously shared her time, knowledge and experience. For instance, Sheila worked extensively with SAHRA members and area Resident Associations steering the creation of the City’s Avenue Road Avenue Study so that it ensures development on a scale comparable with nearby neighbourhoods.
And she did SO much more!
For SAHRA, Sheila was your advocate. She composed and sent timely eBlasts to update residents of matters of concern and interest; researched issues and developed responses and positions within the SAHRA team; prepared and made presentations to City bodies and other Resident Associations; met with developers, City Councillors, builders, etc., to negotiate modifying projects to make them more appropriate to neighbourhoods.
In her neighbourhood, Sheila led the development of annual block parties and acted as Group Captain for Neighbourhood Watch Online. In 2020, she co-organized a daily block music tribute to honour the health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This salute ran each evening for 100 days.
And in the broader community, she volunteered in the Big G Mentoring Program with Big Sisters of Toronto.
In August, just days before her death, Sheila received an honorary scroll from Eglinton-Lawrence MPP Robin Martin to commend her for the continuous and tireless efforts she put into so many organizations over many years.
Sheila’s death leaves a big hole not only in the hearts of those who knew her, but also in the organizations for which she volunteered. SAHRA will miss her greatly.
A formal obituary can be found on the website of the Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations (FoNTRA) and in the September 10 editions of The Toronto Star, The St Catherine’s Standard and The Hamilton Spectator.
We will keep you informed of further information as it becomes available.