Sheila Rae Early of Bloomfield, Iowa passed away peacefully Monday, June 10, 2019 at Hospice House in Ottumwa, Iowa.  Sheila was born December 28, 1943, to Ray and Helen (Drennan) Beckett in Springfield, Illinois.  Her family moved to Edina, Missouri and she graduated from Edina High School with the class of 1961.  She attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri and Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri before her marriage to Richard Delaney Early on July 4, 1964 in Baring, Missouri.  While her husband was completing nursing school, serving in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, and attending anesthesia school at Mayo Clinic they lived in Kansas City, Kansas, San Francisco, California and Rochester, Minnesota before moving to Bloomfield, Iowa in 1970.  While raising her family in Bloomfield, Sheila participated in several civic organizations and clubs.  She was a member of the Twentieth Century Club and spent time volunteering with Meals on Wheels, the Davis County Fine Arts Council, and the Davis County Hospital Auxiliary.  Sheila loved to travel and did so extensively with her husband when he was alive and then with her children.  She was an avid reader and accumulated an impressive library that included a variety of subjects.  Her home was her sanctuary and she was happiest when it was filled with her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren.  Her greatest pleasure in life was that of being a wife, mother, and grandmother.  Left to cherish Sheila's memory are her children; son Kevin Early and wife Audra, of Bloomfield, Iowa; daughter Megan Reno and husband Gary of Geneva, Illinois; and daughter Joan Strauss and husband Noel of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Her adored grandchildren are Conor Westrate, Drennan Westrate Blaesing, Ashlyn Reno, Sarah Early, Jessica Early, Michael Early, Ethan Strauss and Alexa Strauss.  Sheila is also survived by her brother Richard Beckett and wife Bonnie of Ashland, Missouri and many beloved nieces and nephews.  Sheila was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. Family and friends are invited to a   celebration of Sheila which will take place on July 5, 2019 at the Baring Country Club in Baring, Missouri.  The gathering will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the remembrance will start at 8:00 p.m.  The family is grateful to the dedicated nurses and staff at Hospice House for the comfort and care given to Sheila in the past months.  As an expression of sympathy, memorials may be made to The Davis County Hospital Foundation Dick and Sheila Early Nursing Scholarship Fund, Davis County Hospital, Bloomfield, Iowa.  Donations to the Dick and Sheila Early Nursing Scholarship Fund may be mailed to Memphis Funeral Home, 378 South Market Street, Memphis, Missouri 63555.