Individual Details
Sheila HUSSEY
(2 Jan 1927 - 27 Jun 2003)
Sheila grew up in Barnes in London where she was educated at a small French convent about a mile from her home. Barnes was heavily bombed during World War II and Sheila and her family spent much time in the air-raid shelter built by her father under the garage of their home.
Sheila had an interesting encounter during World War II: one afternoon, having returned from school, Sheila was sent by her mother to run some errands in Hammersmith. She was waiting at a bus stop in Barnes and, as usual, there were many army vehicles passing by. One of them, a large U.S. Army car with flags, stopped and a large, middle-aged officer sitting in the back of the vehicle and sporting an impressive array of medals, offered Sheila a lift. Although she may have been told by her parents never to accept a lift from a stranger, Sheila hopped in beside the driver and on the short trip to Hammersmith Broadway she and the army man in the back chatted about school and her favourite subjects before being dropped off in Hammersmith. It was only the next day, when she looked at the front page of the newspaper and saw a photograph of the same officer who had offered her the lift, that Sheila realised she had met Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
After leaving school, Sheila started work in the Irish Passport Office at the Irish Embassy in London. Some time later, Sheila acted, unknowingly, as a matchmaker for two of her sisters: a group of young Irish civil servants had been sent from Dublin to augment the staff at the Irish Passport Office, and among them were Cormac Gordon and Michael Roantree. Sheila's mother, remembering how lonely she had felt when she had first arrived in London from Ireland, told Sheila to invite the newcomers to tea the following Sunday. And that was how Sheila's sister Maureen met her future husband, Cormac. Another sister, Una, would later marry Michael's brother Tom. Sheila herself never married.
After Sheila moved to Dublin in 1947 with her sisters, she worked briefly in advertising and then moved on to publishing and some freelance journalism. She then spent a number of years in the now-defunct Irish News Agency, after which she joined Coras Trachtála (the Irish Export Board) and worked for many years in public relations and press work. She lived on Cedarmount Road, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin and in her retirement became an active member of the Green party.
Sheila had an interesting encounter during World War II: one afternoon, having returned from school, Sheila was sent by her mother to run some errands in Hammersmith. She was waiting at a bus stop in Barnes and, as usual, there were many army vehicles passing by. One of them, a large U.S. Army car with flags, stopped and a large, middle-aged officer sitting in the back of the vehicle and sporting an impressive array of medals, offered Sheila a lift. Although she may have been told by her parents never to accept a lift from a stranger, Sheila hopped in beside the driver and on the short trip to Hammersmith Broadway she and the army man in the back chatted about school and her favourite subjects before being dropped off in Hammersmith. It was only the next day, when she looked at the front page of the newspaper and saw a photograph of the same officer who had offered her the lift, that Sheila realised she had met Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
After leaving school, Sheila started work in the Irish Passport Office at the Irish Embassy in London. Some time later, Sheila acted, unknowingly, as a matchmaker for two of her sisters: a group of young Irish civil servants had been sent from Dublin to augment the staff at the Irish Passport Office, and among them were Cormac Gordon and Michael Roantree. Sheila's mother, remembering how lonely she had felt when she had first arrived in London from Ireland, told Sheila to invite the newcomers to tea the following Sunday. And that was how Sheila's sister Maureen met her future husband, Cormac. Another sister, Una, would later marry Michael's brother Tom. Sheila herself never married.
After Sheila moved to Dublin in 1947 with her sisters, she worked briefly in advertising and then moved on to publishing and some freelance journalism. She then spent a number of years in the now-defunct Irish News Agency, after which she joined Coras Trachtála (the Irish Export Board) and worked for many years in public relations and press work. She lived on Cedarmount Road, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin and in her retirement became an active member of the Green party.
Events
| Birth | 2 Jan 1927 | East Acton, London | |||
| Death | 27 Jun 2003 | Mount Merrion, Dublin | |||
| Burial | 30 Jun 2003 | Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin |
Families
| Father | Stephen Joseph HUSSEY (1895 - 1978) |
| Mother | Mary Brigid RYAN (1898 - 1950) |
| Sibling | Maureen Brigid HUSSEY (1924 - 1995) |
| Sibling | Una HUSSEY (1928 - 1995) |
| Sibling | Brigid (Brigie) HUSSEY (1931 - 2021) |