Sheila Ann Bross

Sheila Bross ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by Legacy Funeral Home - Chandler Chapel from Mar. 4 to Mar. 9, 2026.A Tribute to an Astonishing Woman | Sheila Ann Marie Beranek Bross (1947-2026)Sheila Ann Marie Beranek Bross, 78, of Sun Lakes, AZ, passed peacefully on February 28, 2026, of complications due to Parkinson's Disease. Her husband and three sons were by her side.Sheila was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend to many, a live wire and inspiration to all who knew her. She was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on September 25, 1947, to Theodore (Ted) and Alberta (Bert) Beranek, who inspired her and her three siblings with a life of adventure, free spirit, family, and friendship. From family gatherings at the cottage in Stoddard to a lifetime of travel and a rewarding career in healthcare, Sheila lived as though every day offered something exciting.Sheila attended Catholic-based Aquinas High School, finding faith, value, and lifelong friendships. She attended the St. Francis School of Nursing in La Crosse, before beginning her career at the Veterans Administration in Milwaukee, and ultimately West Allis Memorial Hospital. She finished her career in AZ, contributing her experience to clinics throughout Chandler.Sheila met the love of her life, Gary, in 1968, at the wedding of Gary's brother, Dean (Sandra). Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married in 1968 in Milwaukee. Sheila and Gary were married for over 57 years-they had three sons (Chris, Jon, and Jeff) and shared a life of great devotion and adventure. They spent the last 22 years in Sun Lakes, AZ, enjoying life to its fullest alongside a close and caring community of friends and neighbors.Sheila's friends describe her as vibrant, bold, full of life, light, and laughs, as wonderful and kind as she was wacky and whimsical. She was as well-known for her storytelling and witticisms as she was for her bright green eyes and perfectly applied red lips. She knew how to spice up a conversation as much as she did food, telling the same jokes to priests that would make her friends blush. She is most known for her gestural jokes, especially her Ole and Lena stories, staples of Scandinavian-American humor in the Upper Midwest.Sheila was a consummate gourmet and leader of her neighborhood Gourmet Club. She enjoyed and celebrated every type of cuisine, passing down her family's greatest recipes on handwritten cards and surrounding her dining room table with friends for her famous dinner parties. Her dishes and cooking skills are not only legendary, but now legacy, as her love for food and cooking are carried on by her sons, grandchildren, and anyone lucky enough to have her renowned Lemon Bar Recipe.Sheila's everlasting love of animals was clear with longtime family dogs Pepper and Lady, and the countless pets that she and Gary have cared for and fostered over the years in Sun Lakes. She loved "her dogs" so much that she displayed photos of them in her home and always had a story to tell about each one. And the dogs loved her back-they always knew they could count on her to slip them a morsel under the table or snuggle and scratch them just how they liked it.Sheila loved all kinds of music and had a natural rhythm and enthusiasm on the dance floor. She was a founding member of the Shake a Tail Feather Trio at Sun Lakes' weekly DJ Jukebox Bingo Session. Her favorite music included Elvis, Neil Diamond, John Denver, Grass It Up, and anything by her sons or grandkids on guitar, piano, violin, or drums. Fun fact: Sheila was the family's only accordionist.Sheila never stopped being a kid at heart, enjoying all sorts of games, especially with her grandchildren, whom she loved and adored very much. Board games, word games, lawn games, pool games-she never tired of trying to beat them at every single one. And guaranteed, she was always the fastest and the first one down the slide at the waterpark.Sheila also lived a life of service and enjoyed volunteering with Neighbors Who Care, an organization that helps seniors maintain independent living. She served as a respite aide, offering comfort and company to homebound seniors. She had the knack and personality to bring these elderly, often physically or mentally challenged neighbors out of the doldrums, and always had them smiling and talking, bringing them back to life for a couple of hours.All of these elements of Sheila's life were beautifully reflected and manifested in her decades of travels across the country and the world. She loved her summerlong road trips with Gary from Arizona to Wisconsin, stopping to see family, friends, and historic sites along the way. And of her many trips to Europe, her favorite places were those she called home, especially in the Czech Republic-Prague and Trebon, where her ancestors were from. It was there that she found a new family of friends who became just a few of the many connections and correspondences that she kept over the years.Sheila is remembered for her positivity, dignity, and grace, especially through these last few years when she refused to let Parkinson's limit her sense of strength, adventure, or impropriety. She was true to herself and those she loved to the end. She will be dearly and heartily missed by all who knew and loved her.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.