SHEILA PHELAN HIGGINS-SJA Class of ‘68
It is with sad hearts we share the news of the death of our sister, Sheila. She fought colon cancer for 5 years losing her battle on March 13.
She grew up on an Iowa farm in NE Polk County. She was the second of five children who lost their father early in life. Later our family moved to Des Moines where she attended Catholic grade school at St. Augustin’s and high school at St Joseph Academy. A stepfather and sister joined her life in her senior year. She attended Creighton University, Drake University, and Iowa State.
While working in Des Moines, unable to decide what she wanted to do when she “grew up” until she met an Army Recruiter at a Kresge’s coffee counter in Des Moines. The rest would be history. She enlisted in the US Army and spent the next several decades in service to her country. She fulfilled her basic training at Fort McClellan, followed by Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood. Her first assignment in the V Corps HQ Adjutant Generals Office, Frankfurt, Germany. There she was privileged to have great mentors and valuable experiences that lead to an opportunity to attend Officer Candidate School to become a commissioned officer.
Her numerous assignments provided her with experiences around the world with stops at Fort Gordon, in Korea, Fort Carson, Fort McClellan, Vicenza Italy. Her final assignment was at Fort Irwin in Barstow, CA. where she assumed new duties as the G1/Adjutant General, a short 30 days before the first mobilizing unit arrived for deployment to the 1st Gulf War. She retired as a Major.
She was a retired for a mere 6 months, when the Army realized they didn’t want to part company and requested she return as a civilian employee. During the next 18.5 years she served as a branch chief and Deputy G1/AG, and Deputy Director of Human Resources at Fort Irwin. In May of 2007 she assumed the duties as the Director until her final retirement.
In her last decade she retired to her new home in Palm Springs, helping her brother with his property management business, and traveling both to see family and to cruise as often as possible. She was never far from her books which she read voraciously and enjoyed as her meditation. She donated trailer loads of those books to libraries around the world. In addition we will forever remember her passion for football. She would be tuned into games every weekend.
She was preceded in death by father, Dan Phelan: mother, Marikay Mulvihill Phelan Darnell: stepfather Lewis Darnell, and sister, Sue Phelan-SJA’70. She is survived by her sister Paula Darnell (Michael) Siegel-SJA’69, Gretna,NE, brothers Joe (Tom)-DHS’73 Palm Springs, Daniel (Carolyn)-DHS’69, Del Mar, CA. and Jim (Margo) Fate, TX.
John Crowley
Sheila was a warm, wonderful woman. RIP
John Crowley
John Crowley
Sheila was a warm, wonderful woman. RIP
John Crowley