Obituary for ISABELLE HEIKE (Shimano)
ISABELLE MITSUYE HEIKE
(nee Shimano)
BScN, RN, MEd -
It is with great sadness that the family of Isabelle Mitsuye Heike announces her passing on February 26, 2021 at the age of 85, following a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Isabelle was born on August 14, 1935 to Matsuo and Namiko Shimano in Steveston, British Columbia. Her family was interned in Kaslo, then Rosebery in interior British Columbia during World War II, and settled in Montreal, then Mimico, Ontario after they were released. After graduating from Mimico High School, she attended the University of Toronto where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1958. She met her husband Tom while at university, and married shortly after graduation in 1958.
Isabelle began her career as a public health nurse for the Victorian Order of Nurses and the City of Toronto. She later worked for 25 years as a nurse educator at Montreal General Hospital, the University of Alberta Hospital School of Nursing, and Grant McEwen Community College. Isabelle was highly regarded for the quality and care of her instruction, receiving multiple top instructor awards from her students. She was a lifelong learner, and at 59 years old earned her Master of Education degree from the University of Alberta in 1994.
Isabelle loved sewing and knitting clothes for her young children, creating beautiful needlework, but most of all, designing and making quilts which will be forever meaningful to the ones receiving them. She was happiest on family vacations, including skiing in the Laurentians and Rockies and camping in provincial parks. She also enjoyed the company of her many lifelong friends, who will remember her loving, warm, and caring personality.
Most importantly, Isabelle will be remembered as a devoted wife, wonderful mother, and loving grandmother. She is survived by her husband of 62 years Tom, of Etobicoke; her son Bob, of Toronto; her son David (Cheryl), of Toronto; her daughter Ann (Erik), of Redwood City, California; her four grandchildren Melissa Heike, Ben Heike, Alex Heike, and Anika Norris; her sister Joyce Cho (C.W.); and many nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother Frank.
Please join the family via zoom to celebrate the life of Isabelle on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 2 p.m.
https://zoom.us/j/92391776871
Donations can be made in Isabelle’s honour to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.(please donate directly via https://alzheimer.ca/en) The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Cawthra Gardens Long Term Care Residence in Mississauga, Ontario for their excellent care and compassion over the past 8 years.
(nee Shimano)
BScN, RN, MEd -
It is with great sadness that the family of Isabelle Mitsuye Heike announces her passing on February 26, 2021 at the age of 85, following a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Isabelle was born on August 14, 1935 to Matsuo and Namiko Shimano in Steveston, British Columbia. Her family was interned in Kaslo, then Rosebery in interior British Columbia during World War II, and settled in Montreal, then Mimico, Ontario after they were released. After graduating from Mimico High School, she attended the University of Toronto where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1958. She met her husband Tom while at university, and married shortly after graduation in 1958.
Isabelle began her career as a public health nurse for the Victorian Order of Nurses and the City of Toronto. She later worked for 25 years as a nurse educator at Montreal General Hospital, the University of Alberta Hospital School of Nursing, and Grant McEwen Community College. Isabelle was highly regarded for the quality and care of her instruction, receiving multiple top instructor awards from her students. She was a lifelong learner, and at 59 years old earned her Master of Education degree from the University of Alberta in 1994.
Isabelle loved sewing and knitting clothes for her young children, creating beautiful needlework, but most of all, designing and making quilts which will be forever meaningful to the ones receiving them. She was happiest on family vacations, including skiing in the Laurentians and Rockies and camping in provincial parks. She also enjoyed the company of her many lifelong friends, who will remember her loving, warm, and caring personality.
Most importantly, Isabelle will be remembered as a devoted wife, wonderful mother, and loving grandmother. She is survived by her husband of 62 years Tom, of Etobicoke; her son Bob, of Toronto; her son David (Cheryl), of Toronto; her daughter Ann (Erik), of Redwood City, California; her four grandchildren Melissa Heike, Ben Heike, Alex Heike, and Anika Norris; her sister Joyce Cho (C.W.); and many nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother Frank.
Please join the family via zoom to celebrate the life of Isabelle on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 2 p.m.
https://zoom.us/j/92391776871
Donations can be made in Isabelle’s honour to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.(please donate directly via https://alzheimer.ca/en) The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Cawthra Gardens Long Term Care Residence in Mississauga, Ontario for their excellent care and compassion over the past 8 years.