Our beloved Sheila left this world on October 22, 2024.  Sheila was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 15, 1946, the second oldest of eight children.  From Cleveland, the Sullivan family relocated to Missoula, Montana, which, for Sheila was always "home".  Sheila attended Catholic grade school and high school in Missoula, and graduated from Carroll College in Helena with a degree in elementary education.  She started her teaching career in Tacoma, WA, followed by Great Falls, MT.  It was in Great Falls where she met Jim Merkel and they married on July 3, 1971.  From Great Falls, the Air Force took Sheila and Jim to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.  Their oldest daughter, Megan was born in 1973, and they remained at Ellsworth until 1977.  From Ellsworth, they moved to Omaha, NE, where daughters Kerry and Katy were born in 1979 and 1980, respectively.  Sheila enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom taking care of her three daughters.  In 1982, the family made their way back to Rapid City, SD.  When her youngest daughter started kindergarten, Sheila decided she was ready to return to teaching, a profession  which held her heart for over 20 years.  She taught several classes of first graders at St. Elizabeth Seton and is remembered by most students for teaching them the Mexican Hat Dance and making sombreros!

Family was the most important aspect of Sheila's life.  She prided herself on being home with her daughters until they were in school and taking care of her grandchildren until they, too, went off to school.  She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

Sheila was preceded in death by her parents, Bob and Ellie Sullivan, brother David, sisters Maureen and Mickey, grandson Harrison, and niece Ellie.

She is survived by her husband Jim; daughters Megan (Bryan) Satterwhite, Kerry (Josh) Bennet and Katy (Scott) Davis; grandchildren Nathan, Lily, Macey, and Declan; sisters Bridget, Kitty, Shannon, and Kerry; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Ron and Maureen Merkel as well as many nieces and nephews.

Sheila's ashes will be interred at a small family gathering in Missoula, Montana at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Monument Health Hospice House where Sheila was loved and cared for the last month of her life.