Person:Muriel Shiell (2)

Muriel trained for a nurse and, after receiving her training, went to Manitoba to work for a short time. She hated being so far from home and returned to Ontario.She always appreciated the support she received from Uncle Dave.Uncle Dave would sometimes call Mom and ask her to invite Auntie Muriel down for supper if he had to be away at a conference or meeting or something. Mom sometimes thought that maybe Auntie Muriel would sometimes welcome sometime alone but she always came down whenever Mom called. And it wasn't just Mom.I remember a few years ago, my Uncle died. Mom and Dad were away and I had to help my ninety year old aunt make the the arrangements. I called Auntie Muriel to come and stay with Aunt Kate. When I explained the situation she said the as soon as her Women's Institute meeting(that was being held at her house I think) was over she would pack her bag and come down. I still have visions of her hurrying all those folks out of her house ...I swear she was here in an hour...and it was a twenty minute drive! To me Auntie Muriel was always one person I knew I could count on. When I was a kid, Bonnie and Liz and Heather and I would "trade off" on holidays...Bonnie and Liz would go to Gorrie while Heather and I would stay in Listowel. Later, Bonnie and Liz would come to Listowel while Heather and I made plans to camp out at the Gorrie general store for a day or two. Uncle Dave was usually fairly generous as I recall.While Auntie Muriel was at work(or asleep...she worked afternoons...), Heather and I would"help" Uncle Dave with his milk route.We would often go ballgames all over Huron County. In the ten summers or so that this arrangement took place I do not remember Auntie Muriel ever raising her voice...(possibly because she knew that in competition with Uncle Dave, she didn't have a chance) or ever becoming upset with us. According to Liz, even though she was a peacemaker at heart, Auntie Muriel still had her way of getting her own way when it was necessary.She was just really choosy about picking her battles....a lesson I think a lot of us could learn....Like a lot of other Shiells I know, she could be fairly stubborn when she felt she had to be.Lucky for us it wasn't often.Some of you may know that I have been tracing my genealogy...and those that are close to me are without a doubt ready to kill me at times...but while tracing my family tree I have noticed certain traits and one of them describes Auntie Muriel to a T. In the course of researching the Shearer family, I have noticed that a lot of information gets withheld because a lot of family members ascribe to the theory that and I quote..."if you can't say anything nice then say nothing at all" end quote. Auntie Muriel personified that principle to the nth degree. She was not a complainer and if something upset her, she held her tongue. She inherited the Shiell decision making skills though...watching her trying to decide on a course of action was an almost painful experience. Trying hard to not influence her too much was a skill that both Heather and Liz learned well and it is to their credit that Auntie Muriel made as many of her own decisions as possible. The last little while Auntie Muriel was getting more and more concerned about her failing memory and I am certain that she would not have wanted a long and prolonged deterioration.When she retired in 1992, I think she did so because she knew that her memory problems had already started. She knew as well as anyone that the circulation problem that caused her stroke was progressive but she was a fighter, and she fought until the very end.It was fine example of her Shiell stubbornness and determination Auntie Muriel nursed the newborns and I am willing to bet that if you were born in Wingham hospital between the years 1965 to 1992, Auntie Muriel was likely the first to rock you to sleep or change your dirty diaper.Muriel suffered a stroke in her mid thirties yet still managed a nursing career until her retirement. Auntie Muriel always loved young kids and was sort of "adopted" by Marlene and Glen's youngest grandchildren...and the older ones too!That said, I am sure that she sometimes went home fom Mom's and thought Thank God for peace and quiet..But she'd still come up the next weekend. She used to love Mom's meals on wheels too.I am sure that the "Gorrie Crew...namely the Gibsons, Keils, and Edgars will be the first ones to say that she was a gentle soul that they will genuinely miss. I had the opportunity to attend a Christmas Eve service Just before Auntie Muriel died where the topic was the giving of gifts. I couldn't help thinking how lucky we all were for having the gift of Auntie Muriel in our lives. I trust that she received the best gift anyone could receive...the peace of God. I am sure he knows that she deserves the very best because that was what she gave to the people in her life the best......because Auntie Muriel was the best... the best wife, best Mom,best Grandma, best daughter,best sister, best sister in law, best friend and best aunt that anyone could have and we'll miss her.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Ada Jane Shearer and The Shearer Historians. Shearer Family History. (Created in Elma Township in 1938 and maintained by Shearer Reunion Historians. Information was reported by knowledgeable family members and was well maintained in the early years.).
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Isa Cleland. Information that Isa researched on the Shearers. (This information was gathered by Isa until her death in 1999. Most is copied from the Shearer Family Tree.).
3. ↑ Schimanski Funeral Home. December 2007. Privately held by Kathy Shiell-Stokes..