Sheila Hambleton, of Toronto, died peacefully at home on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Sheila was born in in Glasgow in 1931. In the summer of 1940, she and her younger sister Maureen were sent to safety in Canada through the British child evacuation program. They lived with cousins at Port Stanley, Ontario until the end of the war. Sheila returned to Canada for university and completed a B.A. at the University of Western Ontario, an M.A. from Carleton University, and secondary school teacher qualifications from the University of Toronto. She began her teaching career in Belleville, where she met her first husband Robert Park, a fellow teacher. They moved to Toronto, where he died in 1962 after a lengthy illness.

In 1971, she married Donald Hambleton, an educational research coordinator at the Metropolitan School Board. Their life together balanced demanding professional careers with travel, music and theatre, and their Metropolitan United Church congregation, where Sheila became the first woman to serve as the chair of the Board of Trustees. In the 1980s, Don and Sheila built a country house in Grey County near Georgian Bay, where they spent vacations gardening, golfing, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors. A discriminating and thoughtful reader, and an entertaining letter writer, Sheila had the gift of sustained friendship. A dinner party at Don and Sheila’s house was always an occasion for excellent food and stimulating conversation.

Sheila was committed to women’s health and education projects. In the 1980s, as president of the Soroptimist International of Toronto, she led the campaign to organize a significant donation to the neonatal unit at Women’s College Hospital. Through the Soroptimists, she actively supported Street Haven and their programs for women at risk of homelessness. After eight years as the principal of the Toronto District School Board’s City Adult Learning Centre, in 1988 she was appointed the first woman principal of Parkdale Collegiate. She retired in 1994 and expanded her commitment to volunteering.

In 2001, Sheila was one of the recipients of the Toronto City Council’s Constance E. Hamilton Award for Women’s Equality. The award citation concluded “In much of her work, she has supported projects that provide opportunities for young women to be mentored by older women and for older women to be exposed to other cultures. She has helped… to identify needs in the community and has raised funds for organizations that serve and benefit women.” Sheila was quiet about her own achievements, but her life spoke about her caring and compassion, fairness, and the ability to motivate others to action.

Sheila is predeceased by her husband Donald, and her sisters Maureen Hedger and Winifred Duncan. She is survived by her cousin Jeanne Scott in Scotland; nieces and nephews Rob and Lisa Hedger and great-niece Ashley; Sherry Hedger; and Gail and Douglas Edwards; cousins Judith, Margaret, Tom, Dorothy, and their families; and a loving circle of friends. Special thanks to Thornbrook Home Care and Sheila’s faithful caregivers, especially Jeneth, Klenet, and Maris Lucia.

The Funeral Service to celebrate Sheila’s life will be held at 2 pm on Wednesday, October 14 at Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E., Toronto. The service will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Metropolitan United Church or the Soroptimists International of Toronto.