Sheila Anne Chenard passed peacefully in Sterling, VA on Friday, April 3, 2026 at the age of 87 surrounded by family.
A native of Newport, Rhode Island, Sheila was born at Newport Hospital November 8,1938 to Mary and John Croughan, the middle of three daughters, with Maureen (Martin) and Joan (Willenbucher) as her sisters. She grew up with lifelong best friends Renie (McCarthy) Tharp, Joan “Cork” Coughlin, Elizabeth “Tucky” (White) Mahoney, and Barbara Anne “Barbie” (Monticone) Mureddu. She attended St. Catherine’s Academy before enrolling at Salve Regina College where she earned an A.B. in Mathematics and Education, graduating in 1960. She went on to teach math at Thompson Junior High School on Broadway.
Sheila met her husband, John Chenard, in Newport where he was serving aboard USS Charles H Roan following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy. After a brief courtship, they wed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in 1963, beginning 55 wonderful years of marriage and partnership.
She put her teaching career on pause for 20 years to raise their three sons John, Christopher, and Michael, and shepherded the family through multiple military assignments around the country and during a few of her husband’s overseas deployments. She lovingly turned every house into a warm and welcoming home in Norfolk, VA; Monterey, CA; Hanover, NH; Galveston, TX; Garden City, NY; Camarillo, CA; and Burke, VA before finally settling in Oakton, VA.
Sheila resumed her teaching career in Virginia at Poe Middle School teaching math where she was dearly loved and respected by her students and retired as the Mathematics Department Chair. She set the bar high, and her students rose to meet her expectations. She always saw the best in them and encouraged them with unwavering belief in their potential.
Amidst all of her adventures, Sheila loved to draw and sing. She crafted masterful oil pastel portraits and was described by her Salve Regina peers as exhibiting “a crowning glory that every girl envies… magnetic laughter… blue moods are foreign to her… a mathematician with an angelic voice… carefree and enthusiastic… an artistic flair.” Even 66 years later, the glowing description written about her in the 1960 yearbook remains beautifully true.
She encouraged her sons and grandchildren throughout their development and loved spending time with friends, singing in choirs, attending public speaking functions with the Capital Speakers group in Washington DC, and shopping. She also counted down the days each year when she could return with her husband to her childhood home in Newport.
Sheila was predeceased by her beloved husband, John and sister Maureen and is survived by her younger sister, Joan, her three sons, John (Michele), Chris (Carrie), and Michael (Kathy), and her eight grandchildren Allison, Matthew, Evan, Natalie, Riley, Emily, Claire, and Jack, as well as her niece Sheila Gray and nephews Tim and Steve Willenbucher and their families and loved ones.
Sheila and her family are forever grateful to the wonderful, loving staff at Falcons Landing and invite all reading to enjoy an Awful Awful from the Newport Creamery and a (small) glass of moscato as she’s resting peacefully with the Lord and reunited with her beloved husband.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, April 17 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring St, Newport. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Saturday, April 18 at St. Mary’s Church, Newport at 10:00 am. Burial to follow at St. Columba Cemetery, 465 Browns Ln, Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Sheila’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
