and Obituary
Sheila Elaine McKinney was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 17th, 1948. She was born to Gladys and Arthur Jackson. She transitioned peacefully on April 17th, 2021 shortly after 9pm with many of her family present, including 2 of her 4 children. She drew her precious last breath at Vitas Healthcare in Miami, FL. Her cause of death was Stage 4 Gallbladder Cancer, diagnosed during the New Year of 2021.
She made sure none of us saw her take her last breath though the hospice center was filled with her family, she had to be in control all the time, right to the very end. She listened patiently to hear all of our goodbyes though she could not respond. Nonetheless, she waited until we all left her room for a moment and then quickly and gracefully exited the physical world. Sheila confessed that Jesus is Lord and has since united peacefully with Christ.
Sheila migrated from Jamaica to The Bahamas, married, had 4 children and then years later, made the painstaking move to the US in the late 70s and soon became a citizen of the United States of America.
Sheila was the first in her family to achieve US citizen status and immediately began the process of immigrating over 20 of her relatives and their children to the US for years to come. She was our own Harriet Tubman, she led her family through the Jamaican and Bahamian Underground Railroad to a better life. Although the youngest girl out of 8 siblings, her tireless and selfless deeds earned her the title of Matriarch of the Jackson family.
Sheila was fiery, bold, stylish, ambitious, loved to help her family, enjoyed dancing all night to slow reggae and calypso classics and was simply not the kind of person you want to be at odds with. Sheila was rebellious as a child and as an adult, relentless in her pursuits to better herself, her children, her family and closest friends. She was always right, had an affinity for fine clothes, Italian furniture, jewelry and her will to succeed was pure iron. She loved to tell you how the world works and once she said she would do something for you consider it done. She always kept her word.
Sheila was a professional and empathetic caregiver who found great comfort in the healthcare field providing sincere and tender care to her patients. Sheila was a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for decades in both FL and NYC. She made a small salary stretch and multiply, having successfully bought and sold homes in Brooklyn, New York, Miami, FL and most recently Ocala, Florida.
Sheila traveled all over the world, had a profound green thumb, fierce work ethic and inspired her first born child (Raymond Welsh) to not only be the family’s first college graduate, but went on to achieve an Ivy League education from Columbia University. She pushed and catalyzed whoever she touched. She had that affect on people she loved. And If you were lucky enough to feel her love, you also tasted her marvelous Jamaican cuisines as she sat there watching you enjoy it.
Sheila leaves behind 4 children (Raymond Welsh, Christopher Clarke, Sandy McKinney and Jamie McKinney), 9 grand kids (Christopher, CJ, Ashley, Kennedy, Carter, Anija, Marquis, Christanique and Christyn), 6 siblings (Yvonne, Judy, Lloyd, Jean, Joyce and Conway), her eldest nieces (Patsy, Shirley, Anne, Sophia, Sandra, Monique, Justine and Ashley), her eldest nephews (Donavon, Steve, Orville, Romaine, Paul), their children and dearest of friends (Dessa, Kathy, Delores, Carol, Princess and more).
Our beloved Sheila will be missed. Thank you for your love and kindness and may God keep you in peaceful and eternal rest. You have saved and changed lives during your time with us. Your footprints can never be filled. We love you always.
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